TTY USERS SEE FUTURE OF INTERCEPT AT WAD CONVENTION

Waukesha, WI—June 25, 1999

Electronic Tele-Communications, Inc.’s Director of Marketing, Scott Stephenson, presented "TTY Intercept" at the Wisconsin Association of the Deaf’s (WAD) 46th Biennial Convention, June 24-27, hosted by the Madison chapter of the WAD at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Madison, Wisconsin.

TTY devices allow people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired use the telephone to communicate. TTY stands for Text Telephone, although it is sometimes called a TDD or Telecommunication Device for the Deaf. TTY is the more widely accepted term, however, as TTYs are used by many people, not just people who are deaf. Conversations take place via a TTY by typing messages back and forth to one another instead of talking and listening.

Intercept refers to messages that are provided to the caller when a telephone call can not reach its destination. When a call does not go through, it is intercepted and redirected to an intercept message. People placing their calls with a TTY device typically can not receive notification of changed numbers, new area codes or other out-of-service information since intercept messages are usually supplied in spoken format. Recent legislation proposed by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, however, would make Wisconsin the first state to require intercept messages in TTY compatible format.

ETC began offering TTY as a vocabulary option in 1997 for its intercept equipment. Currently, TTY vocabulary is available to telephone service providers on ETC’s Digicept® DNA Module voice application platforms.

"I was honored to be invited to introduce TTY intercept to Wisconsin’s deaf community," said Stephenson. "The upcoming area code change for Southeast Wisconsin highlights the need to provide intercept messages to all callers. ETC is pleased that Wisconsin is considering these equal access requirements and hopes that additional states choose to follow its lead."

The Wisconsin Association for the Deaf is an organization working to ensure that a comprehensive and coordinated systems of resources is accessible to Wisconsin people who are deaf and hard of hearing, enabling them to achieve their maximum potential, through independence, productivity, and integration into the community.

ETC designs, manufactures, and services quality telecommunications products that provide network solutions for domestic and international access providers. Headquartered in Waukesha, Wisconsin, ETC has operations in Atlanta, Georgia and Pleasanton, California. ETC is traded on The NASDAQ SmallCap Market under the symbol ETCIA (Electel).

Digicept is a registered trademark of Electronic Tele-Communications, Inc.

http://www.etcia.com

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