Hearing Aid Compatibility

Illinois Valley Cellular offers a variety of Hearing Aid Compatible phone models to meet the needs of wireless users with hearing disabilities. The mobile units are presented here by category of price.

Smartphones generally have advanced features such as expandable memory, enhanced camera, Bluetooth, video, Internet access, touch screen UI, faster processing, email, full QWERTY keypads, and in many cases Windows Office Mobile, to meet the demands of mobile business professionals and consumers.

High-Tier Phones have features for demanding users, including Bluetooth, Internet access capability, increased RAM storage or expandable memory, high-resolution color display, enhanced camera/video capability, and music/MP3 player functionality. They typically feature a modern, sleek design, often are slider form factor.

Mid-Tier Phones may have a camera, Bluetooth, or Internet access capability, but are less likely to offer video/music/media player capability. Design is typically less stylish, tends to be clamshell or flip form factor.

Low-Tier Phones offer basic wireless telephone features, may not have a camera, Bluetooth, or Internet access capability, and generally lack such features MP3 players and expandable memory. Typically utilitarian design suitable for customers using voice/text only, tends to be flip or bar form factor.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defines Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) for wireless devices in terms of radio-frequency (RF) emissions and telecoil coupling. Cell phones are tested to see if they comply with the FCCís definition of hearing aid compatibility.

M-Ratings: Wireless devices rated M3 or M4 meet FCC requirements and are likely to generate less interference to hearing devices than wireless devices that are not labeled. M4 is the better or higher of the two ratings.

T-Ratings: Wireless devices rated T3 or T4 meet FCC requirements and are likely to be more usable with a hearing device’s telecoil (“T Switch” or “Telephone Switch”) than unrated wireless devices. T4 is the better/higher of the two ratings. (Note that not all hearing devices have telecoils in them).

A listing of HAC handsets currently and recently offered by Illinois Valley Cellular can be found below.