While many deaf people have been using SMS intensively, it doesn't replace interactive text based conversation, such as landline textphones or more modern solutions like TalkByText. SMS and email are messaging technologies, not systems for conversations like the telephone.

Messaging is a useful additional service, but it doesn’t replace the need for real-time, direct dialogue. It hasn't replaced the need for telephones for hearing people and it can't replace the need for interactive, character-by-character based text for deaf people.

Going mobile

When mobile phones were developed they focused on voice conversations and didn't include a solution for character-by-character, interactive text. For deaf and hard of hearing people, the mobile revolution has increased the barriers to full participation in a world where the ability to communicate anywhere, anytime and with anyone has become so important.

Our New Technologies team has been addressing this problem for many years. TalkByText Mobile Edition is a software solution that can transform your mobile handset into a mobile textphone.

We are also working with manufacturers, network operators and other stakeholders to make sure that, in future, text based conversations will become an integral part of mobile handsets and networks, so that text users will have the same freedom of communication in terms of choice, interoperability, cost and availability.

Further information

Email our new technologies team for further information or visit the TalkbyText web page (external link, opens new browser window).