Aspiro owned Telesta announces breakthrough...

Aspiro owned Telesta announces breakthrough for the deaf and hearing/speech-impaired communities – a smart cable which allows connectivity between legacy TTY devices and standard mobile phones.

Aspiro owned Telesta Inc. announced today the latest breakthrough of its Mobile TextPhone Service, which enables text-telephone conversations over mobile phone networks. This latest advancement, the development of a smart cable fully compatible with legacy TTY devices, is a significant breakthrough since it enables deaf and hearing/speech impaired individuals to connect their existing text telephones to standard digital mobile phones and communicate with other mobile phone users for the first time. The smart cable was presented at the most recent TTY Forum and Wireless Industry’s GSM North American Group. The development of the smart cable, which ensures that all legacy devices will work with Telesta’s circuit switched data solution, was essential in answering the Federal Communications Commission’s mandate for TTY compatibility with digital mobile phones. This technological breakthrough complements the existing Mobile TextPhone subscriber suite of products, which currently includes the Nokia 9000il Communicator or a Windows CE-based personal digital assistant. “The smart cable solution clearly demonstrates our commitment to developing solutions that have real-world applications; a commitment that has led Telesta to become the world’s first provider of such a service” said Tom Mullaney, President of Telesta Inc. Mobile text telephony is a prime example of how new technology benefits the lives of many. A point highlighted by Vice President Erik Snabb: “While millions around the world make use of the freedom and power of mobile telephones, the deaf and hearing impaired have been excluded from using mobile technology. With our Mobile Text-Telephony Service, Telesta reverses this situation and technology becomes a powerful tool in overcoming these disabilities. They now have equal opportunity to circulate freely while communicating with the world.”