A few days ago, T-Mobile revealed that they were chosen by the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUCT) to be the provider of the Relay Texas project. Through this partnership, T-Mo will provide Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and Captioned Telephone (CapTel) service throughout the state of Texas.
Prior to this announcement, the PUCT used to partner with Sprint for this endeavor. The two have been working together for 30 years. But now that Sprint is owned by T-Mobile, the PUCT renewed the partnership with T-Mobile on December 1, 2020.
“We are excited to continue our wonderful relationship with the great state of Texas, as well as working with the Public Utilities Commission and Relay Texas consumers as we endeavor to improve the quality of life for all,” T-Mobile’s accessibility lead, Mike Ellis said. “T-Mobile provides a comprehensive array of accessible communication services to empower people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, Low-Vision or have a Speech Disability that provide functionally equivalent communication options.”
Meanwhile, Public Utility Commission of Texas’ Program Administrator, Jay Stone, shared the news of the renewed partnership.
“The Public Utility Commission of Texas is happy to announce the new contract for Relay Services awarded to T-Mobile. The Public Utility Commission of Texas and Sprint, now part of T-Mobile has a 30 year relationship and we look forward to another four years together providing top notch relay services to the people of Texas.”
Relay communication services have been designed to cater to the different communication needs of its users. It is a big help to individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, Low-Vision, or have a Speech Disability. This helps them communicate over the phone using a specialized text telephone with an operator converting their message into text from voice.
TRS communications can be accessed anywhere in the US by dialing 711 from any phone. The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Source: T-Mobile