Press Release

New ATIS Standard Specifies Mobile Device Behavior for Real-Time Texting

WASHINGTON — March 13, 2017 —  ATIS today announced release of a new specification that standardizes mobile device behavior for handling Real Time Text (RTT) in the IP environment, a solution favored by the disability community, including deaf and hard of hearing individuals, as a viable replacement for teletypewriter or text telephony (TTY). Not only does the new ATIS standard, Real-Time Text Mobile Device Behavior (ATIS-0700029), allow for characters to be transmitted and displayed as they are typed, it also facilitates the use of RTT between mobile devices across multiple operators.  Through ATIS, operators have seized a major opportunity in the all-IP transition to make use of the wireless device’s internal keyboard, thus freeing users from carrying a burdensome standalone keyboard.

“The new RTT standard applies our innovative approach toward advancing the all-IP transformation to helping deaf and hard of hearing individuals communicate more easily in today’s wireless world,” said ATIS President and CEO Susan Miller.  “It also gives operators the opportunity to more easily transition from the current TTY mandate, which evolved from a regulatory requirement for a circuit-switched environment, by instead providing the new RTT capability.”

The new RTT standard, developed with input from consumer advocates, specifies the minimum behavior of the mobile device needed for performing RTT user-to-user communication within and between VoLTE Commercial Mobile Service Providers.  Comprehensive in nature, it addresses user origination of an RTT call; user receipt of an RTT call; device configuration for the RTT capability; user device interaction among voice, video, and RTT media types; and other end-to-end considerations specific to mobile devices.

Access Real-Time Text Mobile Device Behavior (ATIS-0700029) in the ATIS Document Center, your leading resource for technical operations standards for the global ICT industry that are produced by ATIS Committees and Forums.

Marcella Wolfe, Manager – Public Relations and Marketing Communications, ATIS

About ATIS

As a leading technology and solutions development organization, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) brings together the top global ICT companies to advance the industry's business priorities. Our Next G Alliance is building the foundation for North American leadership in 6G and beyond. ATIS' 165 member companies are also currently working to address 5G, illegal robocall mitigation, quantum computing, artificial intelligence-enabled networks, identity and privacy, distributed ledger/blockchain technology, cybersecurity, IoT, emergency services, quality of service, billing support, operations and much more. These priorities follow a fast-track development lifecycle from design and innovation through standards, specifications, requirements, business use cases, software toolkits, open-source solutions and interoperability testing.

ATIS is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ATIS is the North American Organizational Partner for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as well as a member of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL). For more information, visit www.atis.org. Follow ATIS on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Marcella Wolfe
Manager, Public Relations & Marketing Communications
202-434-8851
mwolfe@atis.org