National Cellular (NCI) and Starkey Laboratories Sign Distribution Agreement; Starkey's New ELI (Ear Level Instrument) Provides Bluetooth(R) Connectivity Between Mobile Phones and Hearing Aids.ARLINGTON, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas (USA) within the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area. According to a U.S Census Bureau release, as of July 1, 2006 Arlington has an estimated population of 367,197. -- National Cellular (NCI See Liberate. ) and Starkey Laboratories Starkey Laboratories is a large developer, manufacturer, and distributer of hearing aids headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The privately held company was founded in 1967 and had a 25% U.S. hearing aid market share and a 14% worldwide hearing aid market share in 2006. have signed an agreement for NCI to distribute Starkey's ELI Eli (ē`lī), in the Bible, high priest and judge of Israel, teacher of the boy Samuel. 1. (language) ELI - An early system on the IBM 705 and IBM 650. [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)]. 2. products to the cellular industry. The ELI (Ear Level Instrument) provides Bluetooth(R) connectivity between hearing aids Hearing Aids Definition A hearing aid is a device that can amplify sound waves in order to help a deaf or hard-of-hearing person hear sounds more clearly. and Bluetooth(R)-enhanced mobile phones. Hearing aid users often experience a buzzing sound that makes conversations over a digital wireless phone difficult or impossible to hear. To combat the problem, the FCC (1) (Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, www.fcc.gov) The U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications including wire, cable, radio, TV and satellite. The FCC was created under the U.S. has required cellular handset manufacturers to provide a small selection of wireless handsets that will significantly minimize or eliminate this interference. The advantage of the ELI device is that the hearing-impaired user can utilize any Bluetooth(R)-enabled wireless phone. Bluetooth(R)-enabled phones in a cellular carrier's existing inventory become instantly hearing-aid compatible when paired with ELI. And the hearing aid user can choose from a wider selection of wireless handsets. ELI comes in two different configurations. For Behind-The-Ear (BTE) hearing aids equipped with a Direct Audio Input (DAI Dai n. & adj. Variant of Tai. ), the standard ELI can be used. For hearing aids equipped with a telecoil, ELI can be combined with a specially designed neckloop for proper operation. ELI is FCC, CE and Bluetooth(R) compliant. Starkey President Jerry Ruzicka said, "ELI offers hearing instrument wearers the freedom to communicate with Bluetooth(R)-compatible wireless phones. Because the solution is wireless, it eliminates the hassle of cable clutter." "National Cellular is excited to work with Starkey and a product that can help hearing-impaired people use wireless phones," said Jack Wrigley, National Cellular's Director of Carrier Sales. "We look forward to our joint effort with Starkey to introduce and market this innovative new product." To learn more about ELI: www.elihearing.com. To learn about the FCC's mandate for hearing-impaired wireless phones: www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/accessiblewireless.html. For more information about NCI: www.ncicellular.com. |
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