ITU-T Workshop
"The impact of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities on the work of the ITU-T"
Geneva, 2 November 2009
Total Conversation –
Meeting UN Convention and European Commission requirements for
everyday communications and emergency services in the
REACH112 project
Gunnar Hellström,
Omnitor.
Geneva, 2 November 2009
International
Telecommunication
Union
UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities
From Article 9, Accessibility:
1. To enable persons with disabilities to live
independently and participate fully in all aspects of
life, States Parties shall take appropriate
measures to ensure to persons with
disabilities access, on an equal basis with
others,... to information and
communications... shall apply to, inter alia:
...
(b) Information, communications and other
services, including electronic services and
emergency services.
ITU-T Workshop on Accessibility
Geneva, 2 November 2009
International
Telecommunication
Union
2
Total Conversation, the practical
response to the UN requirement
Real-time text: Text is sent at the same flow as it
is typed. Near character-by-character. Gives good
contact and efficient dialogue in intensive calls.
ITU-T Workshop on Accessibility
Geneva, 2 November 2009
Enables consistent voice, text and video
communication at the same time and
in real time.
Media:
Audio for speech.
Video for sign language, lip reading,
and general showing
Real-time text for good text contact
for part or whole conversation
An open standardised concept, originally
from ITU, now also in IETF, ETSI and
3GPP standards.
Defined in ITU-T F.703
The base for conversational services for
all.
Appreciated in implementations with
thousands of users.
A small but important extension of the
videophone concept by adding realtime text.
Now supported to grow through the EU
deployment project REACH112.
International
Telecommunication
Union
3
Total Conversation example
Call with media: Real-time text, video, voice.
-desirable for all
-essential for people with disabilities
-desirable for everyday calls
-essential for emergency calls
(click to play)
Example: A deaf-blind woman in a Total
Conversation call, producing sign-language
and receiving text.
ITU-T Workshop on Accessibility
Geneva, 2 November 2009
International
Telecommunication
Union
4
Latest News! Latest News!
The Council of the European Union
has on October 26, 2009 adopted
Total Conversation as a Universal
Service that all Member States shall
make sure is available.
An action in full harmony with the
intentions of the UN Convention
Article 9.
ITU-T Workshop on Accessibility
Geneva, 2 November 2009
International
Telecommunication
Union
5
Total Conversation enables integration
in the communication society.
The way you call every
day must also be the
way you call in emergency
When all have interoperable
Total Conversation. many calls can go direct
The user in the center of
inclusive communication
Same terminal for all contacts
Users with Total
Conversation or
Real-time text
Devices
Emergency
services 112,
911,...
user with
communication
disability
Voice user communication
direct or via relay services
Voice
telephone
users
ITU-T Workshop on Accessibility
Geneva, 2 November 2009
Text, Sign
& Caption
Relay Services
Relay services
for mode
conversion
when users
have no
common way of
communication
International
Telecommunication
Union
6
Total Conversation
Interoperability
Other
Networks
Mobile
phone
GATEWAY
( closed systems,
other
standards)
Other
Protocols
GATEWAY
Personal Computers
(text, voice and video)
IP text device
PSTN
PSTN
To IP
Gateway
VoIP Phones VoIP Mobile phone with RTT
(voice only)
ITU-T Workshop on Accessibility
Focus
on SIP,
allow2009
variations
Geneva,
2 November
Traditional
Textphones
Computer, PDA,
other Text device
with Textphone capability
(directly or indirectly)
SIP
with RFC4103
for Real-time Text
video
and audio
IP network
Old
PSTN
PSTN Phonesnetwork
through gateways
112
Text, video and
Voice
VoIP Phone
International
Telecommunication
Union
7
Deployment support through
REACH112
European Commission funding for project ”Total
Conversation and Emergency Services for all”.
In the Policy Support Program for deployment support.
Fostered by the eInclusion unit in the EC
Start July 2009. Run 3 Years.
Pilot service provision in five countries with 22 partners.
Different providers, different manufacturers, same protocols
A practical response on many years’ strong policy statements
with goals to show sustainability and good use of Total
Conversation:
for communication for all in everyday calls
for 112 emergency calls.
Including use of relay services when needed
ITU-T Workshop on Accessibility
Geneva, 2 November 2009
International
Telecommunication
Union
8
REACH112 Network with interoperable
Total Conversation services
Key
Type Talk
(V.21)
Gateway
Video Relay
RTT Service
Static TC
User
PSAP
PSAP
UK TC
France TC
Mobile TC
User
SI
P
TC
SI
P
Mobile Text
User
TC
Video Relay
PSTN Text
Terminal
Internet
PSAP
PSAP
SIP
TC
TC
SI
P
TC SIP
Video Relay
Sweden TC
TC Call Center
Agent
Spain TC
(Trials)
Text Relay
(V.21)
Netherlands TC
(Trials)
SIP
PSAP
ITU-T Workshop on Accessibility
Geneva, 2 November 2009
SI
P
RTT Service
Multiple providers
Multiple manufacturers
Interoperability by using same
interchange protocol
SIP with T.140/RFC 4103 real-time text,
International
video and audio.
Telecommunication
No isolated islands
Union
9
Good recent progress in
standards
Total Conversation in the IP Multimedia
Subsystem IMS.
3GPP TS 22.173 MMTEL
3GPP TS 26.114 MMTEL media aspects
Relay Service standard defines use of Total
Conversation for sign relay services.
ETSI ES 202 975 Harmonised Relay Services
ETSI TR 102 974 Relay Service Report
Emergency service standard
IETF RFC 5012 Includes requirements for Total
Conversation support to emergency services
ITU-T Workshop on Accessibility
Geneva, 2 November 2009
International
Telecommunication
Union
10
Further standardisation needs
New conversational service environments need to
include Total Conversation from the beginning.
Call by destination number through relay
services.
Described in Sweden 2006
Implemented in USA 2009
Implemented in REACH112 2009
Need for agreed standard to simplify terminal
manufacturing and interoperability.
Accessible emergency service calls
Total Conversation through
Automatic inclusion of relay services when needed
Location information from user – not relay.
Enable call back
ITU-T Workshop on Accessibility
Geneva, 2 November 2009
International
Telecommunication
Union
11
Conclusion
REACH112 is an important step to
deployment of Total Conversation.
In line with UN Convention
In line with new EU directives
Benefit for all
Join the efforts to provide functional
equivalence to telephony for all by
providing interoperable
Total Conversation!
ITU-T Workshop on Accessibility
Geneva, 2 November 2009
International
Telecommunication
Union
12
REACH112
www.reach112.eu
--Gunnar Hellström
gunnar.hellstrom@omnitor.se
www.omnitor.se
Acknowledgement: Some pictures and video clips were provided from the Telecommunication Access
International
Telecommunication
Rehabilitation
Research Center of the University of Wisconsin, funded by NIDRR.
ITU-T
WorkshopEngineering
on Accessibility
Union
13
Geneva, 2 November 2009