Sprint and AOL Team to Offer Internet Relay Calls (for Disabled Customers)

February 13, 2006 09:45 AM US Eastern Timezone
Sprint and AOL Team to Offer Internet Relay Calls for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. and DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 13, 2006--America Online, Inc.:

The AIM Relay Service Lets Users Access the Sprint IP Relay Directly from the AOL or AIM Buddy List Feature on PCs, Mobile Phones and PDAs

Sprint (NYSE:S) and AOL today announced the launch of Sprint IP Relay, a new Sprint service that builds on the AIM Relay service that allows individuals who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or who have a speech disability to communicate with any standard or mobile telephone user in the United States via instant messaging.

To use the service, people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing send an instant message to the AIM(R) Screen Name "SprintIP" to contact a Sprint IP Relay Communications Assistant. The Communications Assistant then places a telephone call to the hearing caller and relays the conversation between the two parties, reading the instant messages out loud to the hearing caller and typing the responses back via instant message to the deaf caller. The "SprintIP" Screen Name can be added to the Buddy List(R) feature as a permanent buddy, and consumers can initiate Sprint IP Relay calls directly through the AOL(R) and AIM(R) services.

"We are really excited to launch this new service with AOL to improve the quality of communication for deaf and hard-of-hearing users," said Mike Ligas, director, Sprint Relay. "The Sprint IP Relay service provides a stronger, faster connection combined with the convenience of AOL IM so that deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals have an effective way to communicate with hearing individuals using mobile devices and personal computers."

Under the agreement, the free Sprint IP Relay service integrates with the AIM Relay service to provide individuals with access to complete relay services directly from their personal computer or mobile device.