What Does TIA Compliant Phone Mean?

In the past, hearing aid wearers had interference problems when using digital cordless telephones.  A cordless phone has a wireless handset that communicates with the base station by radio waves.  The base is plugged into the telephone line jack and the phone is powered by an ac adapter. Many of the cordless phones are expandable, meaning they have additional handsets that will “talk” to the base unit and they can be placed around the home or office without needing a telephone jack.   Even though the best quality sound still comes from a corded telephone, cordless phones have improved greatly and have proven convenient for many people.

Interference issues cropped up with the cordless digital phones, as they can cause interference with hearing aids – creating an audible buzz.  The older type analog hearing aids are even more affected by cordless phones than the newer digital hearing aids.

The TIA-1083 is a newer telephone standard that was developed by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and Gallaudet University, Entymotic Research and Motorola to help solve the problem of the electromagnetic fields that are created by the handset that causes cordless phone interference with hearing aids.  A telephone complies with TIA-1083 if it meets the requirements of the new standard.  Meeting this standard means that hearing aid users will have significantly reduced interference when using their TIA Compliant cordless phone, making their conversations higher quality with less static or buzz.  TIA-1083 Compliant is a higher standard for cordless phones than just being hearing aid compatible. This standard applies to cordless phones and is especially important when purchasing cordless phones for seniors, as many seniors wear hearing aids.