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• RFP: TRS Service Description
• 3. Functional Requirements

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• Telecoms Relay Service

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• Requests for Proposals

• 3.1 Core Services and Functionality
  • i. Text to Voice Conversion:
  • ii. Voice Carry Over (VCO):
  • iii. Hearing Carry Over (HCO):
• 3.2 Other Services Including Trials of Services
  • i. Directory Service
  • ii. Speech-to-Speech (STS) limited trial
  • iii. Listing in the Telephone Directory
• 3.3 Notes to Services
• 3.4 Accessibility
  • 3.4.1 Registration of Users
  • 3.4.2 Interface Standards
  • 3.4.3 Access Technologies
• 3.5 User Costs
• 3.6 Short Code Numbering
• 3.7 Access to the TRS for Anyone Calling a Deaf, Hearing Impaired or Speech Impaired Person
• 3.8 Access to the TRS by a Deaf, Hearing Impaired or Speech Impaired Person
  • 3.8.1 Preferred Method
    • 3.8.1.1 General
    • 3.8.1.2 Proposal
    • 3.8.1.3 Calling Procedures
    • 3.8.1.4 Registration
    • 3.8.1.5 Call Costs and Billing (Refer to the Diagram Above)
    • 3.8.1.6 Assumptions
    • 3.8.1.7 Comments on Preferred Method Numbering and Costs
  • 3.8.2 General Numbering Issues
  • 3.8.3 Call Types: Numbering and Charging
    • 3.8.3.1 Preferred Method- Calls Made by a TRS User from a Fixed Line Via the TRS
    • 3.8.3.2 Preferred Method - Calls Made by a TRS User from a Cellular Phone Via the TRS
    • 3.8.3.3 Preferred Method - Calls Made by the Public from a Fixed Line Via the TRS
    • 3.8.3.4 Preferred Method - Calls Made by the Public from a Cellular Phone Via the TRS
• 3.9 New Technology Support

3.1 Core Services and Functionality

The TRS shall provide services with the following functionality:

i. Text to Voice Conversion:

A Relay Assistant reads text sent by a Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired user and speaks it out to a hearing person. The hearing person's spoken words are relayed by text to a hearing impaired person.

ii. Voice Carry Over (VCO):

A hearing impaired person without speech impairment (e.g., someone who loses hearing later in life) speaks normally to a hearing person. The Relay Assistant relays the hearing person's words to the hearing impaired person as text.

iii. Hearing Carry Over (HCO):

A speech impaired person without hearing impairment listens normally to a person without speech impairment. The Relay Assistant receives the speech impaired person's words as text and speaks these out to the non-speech impaired person.

3.2 Other Services Including Trials of Services

The following services will also be provided.

i. Directory Service

The TRS will provide a directory number search service to enable callers with hearing impairments or speech impairments to access white pages directory information. Searches would include directories of national and international telephone numbers (where available).

ii. Speech-to-Speech (STS) limited trial

A speech impaired person may prefer to speak rather than use text. The Relay Assistant helps interpret this type of speech, which may be difficult for a non-impaired caller to understand. Such a service is likely to be particularly useful to a person who has a speech impairment and has lost manual dexterity (e.g. as the result of a stroke).

A trial of English language STS will be carried out to build an understanding of the feasibility of providing STS, assess the likely demand, define the need for the service and provide a basis for making any recommendation to include it as a core TRS service or not. The trial will be designed to provide STS on a limited hours of operation basis to a small group of potential users who are representative of the potential overall user group. A number of users in the order of about 20 would provide sufficient information on what issues should be considered in deciding whether to make STS a core service or not. Tenderers should seek the input of relevant disability sector groups on the provision of STS in regards to issues such as what sort of additional training would be required of the Relay Assistant who will carry out STS trial relay. It may be appropriate to establish STS trial access on a special access number.

The TRS provider must work with appropriate disability sector representatives to provide this limited trial service. The trial must be at least nine months in duration, and a report on the outcome of the trial must be completed within one year of the commencement of operation of the TRS. The TRS provider is to work with the Advisory Committee to provide the report back to the Contract Manager (MED) on the outcome of the trial service within one year of operation, and based on the experience obtained provide comments on the need to include it as a core TRS service or not. The TRS provider is to retain the services of a suitable independent expert (who is also acceptable to the Advisory Committee) to provide advice and assistance in preparing the report. The cost of providing these functions is to be included in the overall cost of providing the TRS operation under the TSO.

iii. Listing in the Telephone Directory

The TRS provider be required to work with the telephone directory provider to make arrangements for TRS users to have open to them the personal choice whether or not to identify themselves as a TRS user in the telephone directory.

3.3 Notes to Services

The following points shall be noted:

• The TRS provider will be able to offer additional services outside the scope of those required under the TSO, but not in conflict with the TRS' primary purpose. Such services would not be funded by the TSO.
• The TRS provider will be required to deliver services in a cost effective manner.
• Where it is presented, that TRS will be able to use the caller's calling line identification (CLI) to assist the TRS operation.
• It is desirable that the TRS be capable of acquiring the calling party number even where the caller has blocked its CLI. However, this could add significant set up costs to the TRS and may not therefore be an essential requirement if the TRS can otherwise identify the type of the incoming calls (i.e. whether from a fixed network or a cellular network). Tenderers will be required to identify the costs of alternative approaches to resolving this issue.
• Where the necessary A party number and associated information is presented to the TRS, the TRS provider is to transfer non-blocked CLI of the caller to the called party if it can do so without incurring excessive cost. Where the A party number is not provided to the called party, the TRS number CLI is to be provided to the called party.

3.4 Accessibility

As mentioned in section 2.3, barriers to accessibility of the service should be minimised.

3.4.1 Registration of Users

A requirement to register with the TRS in order to use it to place local or national calls would be a barrier to its use, as described in Principles of Operation (section 2.3, vi). For example, a non-impaired person is likely to be discouraged from using the TRS if registration is required, thus reducing the value of the service to its users than would otherwise be the case.

The call service charging arrangements in 3.8.1 (the preferred method) require users to register to make a small proportion of chargeable calls but do not require a user to register to make local or national calls.

3.4.2 Interface Standards

As noted there are no global standards for text telephones. Standards that are relevant to the TRS, its users and equipment and service providers include:

• AS/NZS 4277:1995. Text Telecommunications- User interface requirements - For Deaf people and people with hearing and speech disabilities.
• ITU-T Recommendation V.18. (11/2000). Operational and interworking requirements for DCEs operating in the text telephone mode.

V.18 specifies an interoperating mechanism such that a V.18 compatible device will be able to communicate with a number of other standard devices including 50 bit/s Baudot devices (see section 3.4.3).

Text telephones that directly connect to a public telecommunications network must comply with the terminal equipment standards specified by the network provider, such as Telecom New Zealand Access Standards. Equipment meeting these standards is issued a Telepermit. In general, text telephones that connect by acoustic coupling⁷ will not need to comply with a network connection standard.

3.4.3 Access Technologies

The following TRS methods of access shall be supported as a minimum:

• Voice: Voice telephone access shall be the primary means for non-impaired users to access the TRS. Voice access is also required for hearing impaired or speech impaired people to use VCO, HCO.
• Text⁸: Text access using text phones or computers with appropriate software and hardware is required to allow Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired people to access the TRS. The service shall be designed to operate with text phones generally and is not to be tied to a particular proprietary model.
• The TRS' text over fixed line interfaces should conform to ITU-T V.18 (2000) to allow interoperability with commonly available fixed line text devices.⁹

3.5 User Costs

TRS users will not incur extra charges for calls to the following number ranges, via the TRS.

Calls via the TRS from a residential or business fixed line telephone by a Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired person to a local or national geographic number will not incur any charge. (Note: they will of course pay for the residential telephone service rental option they have elected to use).

Calls via the TRS from a residential or business fixed line telephone from a non-impaired user's fixed line telephone to a Deaf person's local or national geographic number will not incur any charge.

Calls from a fixed line telephone by Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired person to an 0800 or 0508 (toll-free) number or to an assistance or enquiry number that is normally not charged for¹⁰ will incur no extra charge.

Calls from a cellular telephone by a Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired person to a cellular assistance or enquiry number that is normally not charged for will incur no extra charge.

Cellular phone calls by a Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired person placed via the TRS to 0800 or 0508 numbers are to be supported¹¹ at no extra charge.

TRS users will incur charges for calls to the following number ranges, via the TRS.

Calls from a fixed line telephone by a Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired person:

• to a cellular telephone number should pay an amount that is comparable to the cost the same call would cost if made directly (see 2.3);
• to an international telephone number should pay a rate that is comparable to the rate the same call would be charged at if made directly¹²;
• to an 0900 type charged information service number or equivalent (if access to these types of services are supported by the TRS) would be charged the published tariff for the service(s) that they access.

Calls from a cellular phone to a telephone number in New Zealand should pay an amount that is comparable to the cost the same call would cost if made directly.

Callers outside New Zealand will be able to use the TRS to make a call to Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired person, but only by dialling a direct dial number (i.e., at the caller's cost).

3.6 Short Code Numbering

The TRS provider and the Advisory Committee will be required to investigate whether suitable shorter numbers are available for use in accessing the TRS for standard telephone service calls and emergency service calls, and if so seek the agreement of telecommunication service providers and other key stakeholders to introduce them at a later date.

3.7 Access to the TRS for Anyone Calling a Deaf, Hearing Impaired or Speech Impaired Person

Callers will call the TRS directly in the same way as Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired users, as described in 3.8.

3.8 Access to the TRS by a Deaf, Hearing Impaired or Speech Impaired Person

3.8.1 Preferred Method

3.8.1.1 General

The preferred method for implementing these calling and user billing arrangements is outlined below. Other approaches may be possible and will be considered on their merits. Any alternative option must meet all the principles of operation outlined in 2.3.

This method was developed with input from the Telecommunications Carriers Forum. Options A and B (included in the previously released draft Service Description) are now not preferred and have consequently been removed from the Service Description.

The preferred option would:

• mainly meet the requirement specified in section 3.4.1, in that no registration will be required to make local calls or fixed-network to national calls via the TRS; users would be required to register with the TRS to make calls from or to cell phones via the TRS or to make calls to international numbers via the TRS and users would have to pay for such calls;
• require one primary number for users wishing to make calls via the TRS plus an emergency services number and an assistance number; and
• avoid the need for the TRS to provide any billing information to telecommunications service providers and avoid the need for telecommunications service providers to carry out billing of callers for TRS calls.

3.8.1.2 Proposal

This option proposes that:

• Local and national calls made via the TRS will not be charged for (However, national calls may be charged at a later date, see 3.8.1.7 below).
• Calls made via the TRS from cellular and/or to cellular phones (excluding to freephone or service numbers) will be charged for based on the caller registering with the TRS and paying for any such calls using a billing mechanism to be arranged by the TRS provider.
• Calls from hearing impaired callers from fixed lines and cellular phones in New Zealand to international or premium rate (such as 0900) numbers via the TRS will be charged for based on the caller registering with the TRS and paying the TRS for these calls.

The following diagram is referred to in explaining this option.

3.8.1.3 Calling Procedures

All calls to the TRS from within New Zealand will be made via toll free numbers such as 0508 or 0800 numbers. Under this option the Advisory Committee would be required to look into the feasibility of introducing short codes after establishment of the TRS (see 3.6).

Three different tollfree numbers would be used as follows:

1. To make a relay call;
2. To access the emergency services (i.e. 0800 161616);
3. To obtain the assistance of the TRS regarding the use of the service.

Overseas callers who wish to make a call via the TRS to a New Zealand number will dial the TRS using a number in the form 64 + AC + LN, where AC =area code and LN = local number.

When the TRS Relay Assistant answers the call, the caller will enter or speak the destination number they wish to reach¹³.

3.8.1.4 Registration

Under this option, there will be no requirement for registration or account set up for a fixed network user to use the TRS to make local, tollfree, or national calls.

There will be a requirement to register with the TRS to make a call to or from a cellular phone or for a hearing impaired user to call an international number or an 0900 number.

3.8.1.5 Call Costs and Billing (Refer to the Diagram Above)

• The A-B segment of calls via the TRS, which are either local or national calls, will be paid for by the TRS and not charged to the caller. Calls to the TRS from overseas will be paid for by the caller in the other country.
• The C-D segment of calls, where the caller is using a fixed phone, to local, national, tollfree and carrier service numbers will be free to the caller and, where necessary, will be paid for by the TRS.
• The C-D segment of calls, where the caller is using a mobile phone, to tollfree and carrier service numbers will be free to the caller and, where necessary, will be paid for by the TRS. It is proposed that all such cellular calls via the TRS to tollfree numbers be treated this way unless the TRS can easily recognise and implement cellular barred access to 0800 numbers (see footnote 11).
• The C-D segment of calls to higher value services (such as mobile, international and premium rate) would be charged to the caller. To have these types of calls relayed, the caller would be required to pre-register with the TRS and would be billed by the TRS taking into account the requirement for pricing to be comparable to the prices of equivalent call services not involving the TRS (see 2.3vii).
• Calls to the emergency services will be free of charge. The TRS should identify incoming emergency service calls, and treat them with a higher priority and perhaps route them to specifically trained operators. Operators who are required to handle emergency calls will also handle regular calls when not taking emergency calls. If the TRS is not able to automatically forward the A number, this number must be relayed by the TRS. Tenderers are required to demonstrate that their proposed emergency call arrangements are effective and efficient.
• The TRS will not provide C-D calls to any other service as part of the TSO.

3.8.1.6 Assumptions

These assumptions have been made in developing this method:

• The TRS provider will differentiate between an incoming text and voice call and different access numbers are not required for each¹⁴.
• The TRS provider will need to be able to either obtain the A number in order to identify cellular callers or identify cellular incoming calls by some other method.
• The TRS provider will use the caller's registration identity to identify callers and bill them for chargeable calls.

3.8.1.7 Comments on Preferred Method Numbering and Costs

• This method would be simple for TRS users and the public to understand and use, and easily implemented by service providers.
• Users would only need to remember one access number to place a call via the TRS. A separate emergency service number and a service assistance number are supported.
• Short code access numbers to the TRS for standard calls and emergency service access calls may be introduced in the future, subject to the availability of suitable numbers and agreement of telephone service providers and other key stakeholders.
• Non-charging of local and national calls for fixed phone users under this method is seen as a pragmatic cost effective approach based on the relatively low call volumes expected compared to the costs of administering billing for all chargeable calls. This could be reviewed in light of actual TRS uptake and volumes of calls handled with a fallback to charging for national calls if costs of free national calls exceed putting in place and administering a billing arrangement.
• This method avoids the need for any discounts for national calling to be applied as there will be no charge for such calls. (Principle vii described in section 2.3 ).
• Enhancements could be introduced later when the nature of the demand (type and volume of calls) are better understood and when the functionality that the TRS provider is capable of delivering is known.
• If the TRS cannot obtain and pass on the A party number, the called party (D) will receive the TRS number (C) as the calling line identification.
• Depending on the capability of the TRS to obtain A party number and associated information, call barring on the caller's line may not be able to be honoured for calls made via the TRS. This is similar to the situation where a caller makes a call via a calling card.
• The TRS would not need to pass any call detail information to any telecommunications service providers for billing on behalf purposes.
• For chargeable calls the duration of the call C-D will be used as the basis of the charge to the caller.
• For the TRS to operate cost effectively, it will need to negotiate market rates for tollfree service charges incurred in receiving calls from callers and call charges for making calls to the required called party. The TRS may choose to work with one or more network operators.
• The methods of registration or of billing for callers wishing to make chargeable calls have yet to be decided upon. It is expected that practices in common use for similar service types would be available; for example, for the use of alternative toll services or Internet services, credit card billing options etc.

3.8.2 General Numbering Issues

• Input from telecommunications carriers suggests that the prefix + number required dialing method for calls to national or cellular numbers may cause problems with misdialing of numbers. This is based on their experience with similar schemes in the past. The problem most likely occurs because callers need to construct the dialing sequence each time they make a call, which may be confusing to some users.
• An advantage of the number + dialog dialing method is that it would allow the TRS to more easily support an authentication process in the dialog, should the TRS implement any additional services (as discussed in section 3.3).
• For international calls or for some other type of call where the number length is long, the number + dialogue approach is preferred rather than the prefix + number approach, due to number length restrictions.
• Hotels and businesses will have to decide whether to provide access to any special TRS numbers. They would be able to use any existing arrangements for recovering call costs from users. It is noted that hotels often impose charges for calls that are otherwise free, such as 0800 or 0508 calls. The significance of this issue in terms of its actual impact has not been assessed.

3.8.3 Call Types: Numbering and Charging

3.8.3.1 Preferred Method- Calls Made by a TRS User from a Fixed Line Via the TRS

3.8.3.2 Preferred Method - Calls Made by a TRS User from a Cellular Phone Via the TRS

3.8.3.3 Preferred Method - Calls Made by the Public from a Fixed Line Via the TRS

3.8.3.4 Preferred Method - Calls Made by the Public from a Cellular Phone Via the TRS

3.9 New Technology Support

The TRS provider will be expected to consider new technologies as they become available to provide relay services where:

• A new technology is able to provide the same quality of service at a lower cost; or
• Improve the quality of service in a cost effective manner.

To this end the TRS provider will be expected to receive and consider proposals from technology providers that meet either of the above requirements.

New technology developments that may be relevant in coming years may include but are not limited to:

• Speech recognition
• Automated speech to text conversion
• Automated text to speech conversion.

⁷For example, by laying a voice telephone handset on a microphone and speaker cradle on a text telephone.

⁸It is recognised that there are other text based communications technologies such as Short Message Service, Internet text chat and instant messaging. These are excluded from the TSO funded TRS services because of the difficulty of controlling access to the TRS system from these text modes and the consequent risk of use by anyone and the likely resulting cost escalations. The TRS provider will be free to consider the case for providing access to the relay service by these modes on a purely commercial basis.

⁹This recommendation is dependent upon there being V.18 compliant systems economically available.

¹⁰Such as 111, 120, 123 etc.

¹¹Cellular user access to some 0800 and 0508 numbers are barred (by the called party to control cost). It is likely that the TRS will not be able to easily recognise such barring in providing this service to its users and in general would provide access to otherwise barred cellular numbers.

¹²Hearing people who want to call a Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired person outside of New Zealand will be expected to make use of relay services in the other country.

¹³The TRS should consider automating the collection of the number to be dialled using interactive voice and text response systems. This will reduce the amount of time required by the TRS agent to handle a call and thus allow a greater number of calls to be handled in a given period.

¹⁴If providing a single number for both voice and text calling has negative impact on the speed of answer and/or the complexity of the TRS' incoming line interface, separate numbers for voice and text calls may be acceptable.