TTY products with enhanced protocols use a handshake procedure to automode into the higher-speed when a compatible device is detected on the other end. The user has little or no obvious way to turn off the automoding in some products. In the Wireless TTY Forum, consumer representatives have raised the need to test the enhanced protocols, particularly TurboCode because of its widespread use, and asked companies to work to pass the signals intact. The central consumer problem is that consumers cannot be expected to turn off an enhanced communication protocol in their TTYs for wireless calls. There is no appropriate way to let them know a problem may result, and in the embedded base of TTYs there is often no obvious way to turn off the protocol.
More testing is needed.
Although preferable to garbling the message, blocking of a proprietary protocol is not a desirable outcome from a consumer perspective. Any means of enhancing the speed of communications during an emergency call should be taken advantage of, if at all possible. Since this solution will be implemented and used for all digital cellular calls, consumers must be able to use these protocols effectively. Without testing and potential adjustment in the digital wireless solution, there could be negative implications for wireless TTY consumers. Without this feature, VCO users would have to disconnect the audio cable every time it is their turn to speak.