NRS wait times and TTY noise

Recently some users have let us know they are experiencing longer wait times for National Relay Service (NRS) calls during peak business hours and a technical issue with TTY calls.

We understand and acknowledge community disappointment about these issues and can assure you that we are focused on resolving these concerns as a priority.

To address the wait times, the relay service provider Concentrix, is currently hiring and training additional staff. New staff took their first calls just prior to Christmas and more staff will commence during the rest of January. We expect these will make a substantial difference to wait times but will continue to monitor the situation closely.

We are also aware of an issue affecting TTY users, whose calls are being impacted by interference resulting in background noise during the call. This has been caused by the move from an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) platform to an internet protocol (IP) platform. This change has been necessary as access to ISDN technology is no longer available.

We are working closely with Concentrix and other relay providers from the US and IP telephony providers to determine the best solution to address this issue which is expected to be tested and implemented by late January 2020. We will continue to provide updates as this process continues.

In the meantime, we thank you for your patience during this transition period.

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