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Traditional relay (TRS)

Traditional relay services

Authorized by the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the FCC set up Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) — the world's first state-mandated way for people who are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate using the phone. Originally, these "traditional" relay services were available only by TTY, and are still available for people who prefer that means to connect.

State Relay. Dialing 7-1-1 in your state connects you to your state's relay service. Through this service people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deafblind, or have a speech disability can make and receive phone calls, funded by the states they live in. Options include TTY-based services — accessed by dialing 7-1-1 — Voice Carry Over, Hearing Carry Over and Speech-to-Speech. Specific services vary by state. Visit your state from the list below to see what services your state offers. 

T-Mobile Accessibility currently provides State Relay services for 30 US States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
 
National Relay. National relay services enable users to connect in all the same ways, but by dialing a national number instead of 7-1-1. National relay calls can be international and made 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year without restrictions on the number, length, or type of calls.
 
NOTICE: ASCII relay mode was decommissioned December 13, 2024. TTY relay service is continuing.  For information about alternative equipment or services call TRS customer service at 800-676-3777 or email access@t-mobile.com.

Visit your state's TRS page.

* Wait! Before you choose your state, make sure you turn off the popup blocker in your browser. Then choose your state from the drop-down menu to go to your state.

TRS customer profile.

Want your TRS calls to include your preferences every time you use the service? Set up a TRS Customer profile! This speeds up call processing and ensures that your preferred long distance carrier is used every time you make a call.

Set up your TRS customer profile now.

More about traditional relay.

T-Mobile has offered some form of relay for over 30 years. You have questions, we have answers.

Are there National Relay Numbers?

Yes. You can reach the national relay service at the following numbers:

Voice/TTY (800) 877-8973
VCO (877) 826-2255
1 TRS VCO-CALL
Spanish
Spanish Translation available upon request		 (800) 435-8590
Speech-to-Speech (877) 787-2660
International Inbound to US only (605) 224-1837
Is TRS available in Spanish?

¡Sí! T-Mobile Accessibility offers Spanish relay services for our Spanish-speaking customers. TTY users can type in Spanish and the conversations that are relayed in Spanish to the other party. Spanish-to-Spanish relay service and Spanish translation are available upon request in some states and T-Mobile Interstate Relay.

Accesibilidad de T-Mobile ofrece servicios de relevo en español para nuestros clientes que hablan español. Los usuarios de TTY pueden escribir en español y las conversaciones serán retransmitidas en español a la otra parte. El servicio de relevo de español a español y la traducción al español están disponibles bajo solicitud en algunos estados y por Retransmisión Interestatal de T-Mobile.
What other types of relay do states offer?

In addition to TTY calls, State Relay Services also include:

  1. Voice Carry Over (VCO)
  2. Hearing Carry Over (HCO)
  3. Speech to Speech (STS)

For a full description of how each service works, visit your State's Relay website.
What is "Voice Carry Over" (VCO)?

VCO means the caller’s voice literally “carries” directly to the party on the other end. In this way, people who are hard-of-hearing or deaf can speak using their own voice to a hearing person. There is a Relay Operator on the call, who simply types every word spoken by the hearing person. These words appear as text on the TTY screen for a hard-of-hearing or deaf person to read and respond to.
What is "Hearing Carry Over" (HCO)?

Hearing Carry-Over (HCO) allows speech-disabled users with hearing to listen to the person they are calling. The HCO user types his/her conversation for the Relay Operator to read to the standard telephone user.
Do you offer DeafBlind relay? Yes. DeafBlind Relay is for users who are deafblind and use a special TTY equipped with braille or large visual displays.  This service allows them to read the braille TTY or a larger text at a slower pace for the ease of reading and make relay calls. T-Mobile Relay Service has a toll-free number that provides customized relay service for the unique need of deafblind individuals. 
How can I get help with traditional relay?