OVERLAND PARK, Kan., May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The State of Hawaii has
selected Sprint (NYSE: FON, PCS) as its new provider of Telecommunications
Relay Services (TRS) for the deaf within the state, replacing former provider
Verizon. The establishment and management of a relay call center within the
state is included in the three-year agreement. The center, to be located in
Honolulu, will employ approximately 20 residents of Hawaii to serve as relay
communications assistants and administrative staff.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO )
Sprint relay services will be available July 1st within Hawaii by dialing
711 or one of several toll-free numbers; Sprint will also provide video relay
services for the state through a Web site: http://www.USAVRS.com .
Hawaii joins 28 other states plus Puerto Rico and the federal government
in selecting Sprint Relay to provide TRS for the deaf, hard of hearing,
deaf-blind and speech impaired.
"We're extremely pleased to bring Sprint's 12-plus years of relay
experience to Hawaii residents," said Mike Ligas, region vice president,
Sprint Relay. "This latest contract win is testament to the hard work and
great service put forth by Sprint's relay team each and every day to millions
of deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans."
The agreement is expected to deliver significant cost savings to the state
of Hawaii while providing a wide range of assistive communications
technologies. Sprint's experience in the field also provides the assurance
that all services delivered will meet or exceed Federal Communications
Commission mandates for TRS.
Sprint will provide relay service to allow citizens of Hawaii who are
deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled to communicate with
hearing persons on the phone through traditional, online or video relay
services.
Traditional relay services involve a communications assistant serving as
an intermediary for phone calls between a deaf user and a hearing party. The
communications assistant speaks words typed by a deaf user on a text telephone
(TTY) or via the Internet, and relays the hearing person's spoken response by
typing back to the deaf user. Video relay service ( http://www.USAVRS.com ) uses a
similar process but enables the deaf user to communicate in American Sign
Language via a computer with a Web camera instead of typing.
Sprint Government Systems Division ( http://www.sprint.com/gsd ) is based in
Herndon, Va., and offers the full range of Sprint product and service
offerings for federal and state government customers. Sprint Relay began in
1990 and provides state-of-the-art technology, a full range of features and
highly-trained, professional staff to ensure users are able to communicate
easily and effectively every time they place a relay call. Relay service is
available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with no restrictions on the number
of calls placed or call length. Sprint's national Internet Relay service is
available at http://www.sprintrelayonline.com ; its national Video Relay Service, a
joint venture with Communication Services for the Deaf, is available at
http://www.USAVRS.com .
For questions about Hawaii Relay, contact Greg Gantt, interim account
manager at 317-876-9301 (TTY) or e-mail at greg.gantt@mail.sprint.com .
About Sprint
Sprint is a global communications company serving more than 26 million
business and residential customers in over 70 countries. With approximately
72,000 employees worldwide and nearly $27 billion in annual revenues, Sprint
is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-
art network technologies, including the United States' first nationwide
all-digital, fiber-optic network and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet
backbone. Sprint provides local voice and data services in 18 states and
operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in
the United States.
SOURCE Sprint
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Related links:
http://www.sprintrelayonline.com
http://www.sprint.com/gsd http://www.USAVRS.com
http://www.sprint.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, +1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840
CONTACT:
Steve Lunceford of Sprint, +1-703-295-5700,
or Steve.lunceford@mail.sprint.com
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