Clarity’s Alto amplified telephone is reportedly the first telephone to receive certification that the phone is compliant under the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) new standard for sound amplification in telephones for people with hearing loss.

The new TIA-4953 standard, published in May 2012, establishes the first official industry benchmarks for telephones designed for individuals with hearing loss. The purpose of TIA-4953 is to provide consumers with hearing loss with objective information to verify how a specific model will help them to communicate on the telephone.

The TIA-4953 standard establishes performance metrics for telephones serving individuals with mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss. The standard requires laboratory based testing, using specialized telephone test equipment, to measure sound amplification (volume control gain), tone control, simulated use for hearing aid users, and the sound level of the ringer. The telephone sound output must meet stringent noise and distortion requirements even for the highly amplified settings.

“These new requirements are critically important for improving telephone conversations for the millions in need in the hearing loss community,” said Carsten Trads, president of Clarity. “People with hearing loss can be confident that telephones that have passed the requirements in the new TIA standard will really help them to hear and understand speech better. Clarity is proud to be the first and lead our industry forward to meet these new standards.”

AST Technology Labs, an independent telephone test lab that performs testing for TIA standards, verified that Clarity’s Alto meets the TIA-4953 requirements for telephones for individuals with mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss.

Clarity will display and demonstrate the Alto telephone at TEDPA 2012 Conference in October; it will be available for sale in January 2013.

SOURCE: Clarity