Ultratec

What Ultratec does

Ultratec, Inc. is a privately held telecommunications company founded in 1978 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, that designs and delivers accessibility communications technology for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired. Its product portfolio centers on two families: (1) CapTel captioned telephones — proprietary hardware devices (CapTel 2400i, 2400iSP, 880i, 880iB Braille, 840i, 800 Series) that display real-time captions of the caller's speech while the user simultaneously hears the voice, paired with a 24/7 human-assisted and, since 2022, AI-generated Auto Captions service; and (2) Text Telephones (TTY), a category Ultratec invented with the 1978 pocket TTY launch, including the Uniphone, Superprint, Superprint Pro80, and Supercom 4400 lines, all underpinned by patented protocols such as Turbo Code (1992), Voice Carry Over / Hearing Carry Over (1988), and Auto ID (1992) for emergency call detection. Supporting products include CrystalTone amplified telephones, Simplicity signalers, TDD detectors, and vandal-resistant public TTYs.

Ultratec generates revenue through hardware sales (TTY devices, CapTel phones, amplified phones, accessories), recurring CapTel captioning services delivered through state relay programs, the Federal Relay Service, and partner carriers (Hamilton Relay, Sprint/T-Mobile/CapTel by T-Mobile), and a fee-based National Service Center for product repair. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; hardware is allocated through state distribution contracts and, for CapTel service, end users typically access captioning at no direct cost via relay programs. Distribution is primarily channel-based: state relay programs, the Federal Relay Service, and enterprise telecom carrier partners (AT&T and multiple Bell operating companies), supplemented by international distribution in 25+ countries across 12 languages.

Customer segments are organized by accessibility persona — people who are deaf, people who are hard of hearing, people with speech impairments — plus institutional users in emergency services. Service operations are delivered through six U.S. call centers (Madison, Milwaukee, Orlando, Appleton, Tampa, Arlington). The company is founder-led, with Robert Engelke having served continuously since 1978, and has remained privately held with no disclosed outside funding rounds.

Name

Ultratec

Legal name

Ultratec, Inc.

Website

https://ultratec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ultratec is a privately held Madison, Wisconsin telecommunications company founded in 1978 that designs CapTel captioned telephones, TTY text telephones, and supporting accessibility technologies for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired, distributing through state relay programs, the Federal Relay Service, and major U.S. telecom carriers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Assistive Telecommunications Equipment

NAICS

Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing (334210), Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing (334290)

SIC

Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus (3661)

akta.pro primary industry

Rugged & Specialized Smartphones/Feature Phones (Industrial, Outdoor, Secure) (CRACALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communication) Devices, Apps & Training (EDAKAIAB)

Keywords

• Captioned telephone services
• Text telephone devices
• TTY communication equipment
• Hearing accessibility technology
• Telephone relay services

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - TTY Devices: Sale of text telephones (TTY) including models like Superprint, Supercom, Minicom, Uniphone, and CapTel captioned telephones. These are specialized devices for people with hearing loss.
2. CapTel Captioning Services: Captioning service that provides live captions of telephone conversations for CapTel users. Services include both assisted captions (with human captioning assistants) and automated captions (computer-generated).
3. Product Repair Services: Repair services for Ultratec products through the National Service Center, with warranty coverage and fee-based repairs.
4. Amplified Telephones: Sale of amplified telephones like CrystalTone series that increase volume for people with hearing loss.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ultratec designs, manufactures, and sells text telephone (TTY) devices and CapTel captioned telephones, and operates CapTel captioning services that provide live captions of telephone conversations for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired. The company also distributes amplified telephones, signalers, and related accessibility telecommunications equipment through state relay programs, federal relay service, and telephone company partnerships.

Product overview

Ultratec offers a portfolio of text communication products for people with hearing loss. The core offerings include CapTel captioned telephones (CapTel 2400i, 2400iSP, 880i, 880iB, 840i, 800 Series) that provide real-time captioning of telephone calls, and Text Telephones (TTY) including Uniphone Series, Superprint Series, Superprint Pro80, and Supercom 4400. Supporting products include signalers (Simplicity Signalers), amplified telephones (CrystalTone), public TTYs, and proprietary technologies like Turbo Code and Voice Carry Over. CapTel products allow users to read captions while hearing the caller's voice, while TTY products enable direct text-based telephone communication. The company also offers captioning services and operates call centers supporting CapTel users.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CapTel: A registered trademark of Ultratec, Inc. CapTel is a captioned telephone service and product line that shows captions of everything a caller says, enabling people with hearing loss to communicate via telephone.

Products and services

• CapTel Captioned Telephones Captioned telephones that display real-time captions of everything the caller says, allowing people with hearing loss to read while hearing the caller's voice.
• CapTel 2400i CapTel phone featuring touch screen technology with large colorful display, dial-by-picture capability, built-in answering machine, and WiFi capability.
• CapTel 2400iSP CapTel captioned telephone model supporting VoIP internet connection for users without a telephone landline.
• CapTel 880i CapTel captioned telephone with extra large display screen and font options designed for people with low vision, includes built-in answering machine and WiFi capability.
• CapTel 880iB Braille CapTel Braille CapTel designed for people who are blind and have hearing loss, enabling them to read braille captions of everything a caller says.
• CapTel 840i CapTel captioned telephone with built-in answering machine providing both voice messages and captions, larger caption screen, additional font sizes and colors, and WiFi capability.
• CapTel 800 Series CapTel 800 and CapTel 800i captioned telephones with larger caption screen, expanded menu options, instant access to CapTel Customer Service. CapTel 800i designed for high-speed Internet.
• Text Telephones (TTY) Reliable, efficient text telephones (also known as TTY or TDD) that enable people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired to communicate by typing messages over telephone lines.
• Uniphone Series Combination TTY, amplified telephone, and Voice Carry Over device in one unit. Allows deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing people to share the same phone.
• Superprint Series Modular, upgradeable series of printing TTYs with memory, auto-answer, ASCII capability, and human-engineered design.
• Superprint Pro80 Deluxe TTY with built-in printer using standard size paper, full-size keyboard, and Caller ID capability.
• Supercom 4400 Non-printing TTY with advanced capabilities including Turbo Code, Auto ID, auto-answer, 32k memory, and direct connect features. Supports saving and reviewing conversations in memory.
• TDD Detector Device that monitors telephone lines, listening for TTY tones to identify TTY calls faster and with greater accuracy for emergency services.
• CrystalTone Amplified Telephones Amplified telephones offering customizable sound quality, tone control, and volume level with up to 50dB amplification. Includes loud ringer and visual ring flasher.
• Simplicity Signalers System of signalers that convert everyday sounds (telephone, doorbell, other sounds) into visible or tactile signals. Includes wireless doorbell signaler using radio frequency.
• Public TTY Shelf-top and pay phone TTY devices designed for public access, including vandal-resistant and outdoor all-weather models.
• CapTel Captioning Services Live captioning service that provides real-time captions of telephone conversations for CapTel users. Services include both assisted captions (with human Captioning Assistants) and automated captions (computer-generated).
• Product Repair Services Repair services for Ultratec products through the National Service Center, with 90-day warranty coverage and fee-based repairs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 45 years of continuous operation and innovation in accessibility technology
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and minor.

• T-Mobile (formerly Sprint)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020Sprint merged with T-Mobile in 2020 and continues to offer CapTel by T-Mobile service, providing captioned telephone services to relay customers.
• Hamilton RelaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2008Hamilton Relay offers CapTel service and WEBCAPTEL over the Internet since 2008, providing captioning support for people with hearing loss.
• AT&T and Regional Bell Operating CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-standing relationships with AT&T, Illinois Bell, General Telephone of California, Michigan Bell, Southern New England Telephone, Hawaiian Telephone, Alberta Government Telephone, Ameritech Services, Southern Bell, Bell South Services, and Manitoba Telephone as TTY equipment suppliers.
• ACE (Australia)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with ACE in Australia to set up a CapTel captioning service trial in 2009 to provide more accessible telecommunications for people in Australia who are hard of hearing.
• MBIE (New Zealand)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to set up CapTel captioning service for more accessible communications for people in New Zealand who are hard of hearing (2013).
• MotorolaminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerUltratec designed and produced alpha-numeric paging products for Motorola beginning in 1995 for the paging market.
• Federal Relay ServicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCapTel service available nationwide through the Federal Relay Service for federal government employees and citizens.
• State Relay ProgramscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFull service CapTel offered as part of standard relay service in the majority of U.S. states. Hawaii was the first state to offer full service CapTel in January 2004.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hamilton Relay: Telecommunications relay service provider that is both an Ultratec channel partner (offering CapTel and WEBCAPTEL since 2008) and a direct competitor in the relay-services market across multiple states.
• Sorenson Communications (CaptionCall): Sorenson operates CaptionCall, the most direct competitor to CapTel in the U.S. captioned-telephone market, offering a similar hardware-plus-captioning-service model to deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers via telephone-company distribution.
• Purple Communications: Video relay service and relay provider for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community; competes in the broader relay-services ecosystem that funds CapTel adoption through state programs.
• Convo Communications: Provider of relay services (including video relay) serving deaf and hard-of-hearing customers; competes for the same end users and state/federal relay contracts that anchor Ultratec's CapTel business.
• ZVRS (Z Videophone Relay Service): Video relay service provider serving deaf and hard-of-hearing users under FCC relay programs; overlaps Ultratec in the same federally-funded accessibility communications market.

Emerging players

• Williams Sound: Manufacturer of assistive listening, loop, and communication products for people with hearing loss; comparable to Ultratec in addressing hearing-accessibility needs through specialized hardware.
• Sonic Alert: Manufacturer of alerting signaling devices, amplified telephones, and alarm clocks for the deaf and hard-of-hearing; overlaps with Ultratec's Simplicity and CrystalTone product lines in alerting and amplification.
• InnoCaption: Mobile app-based captioned-telephone service for the deaf and hard-of-hearing; represents the smartphone-native substitute that competes with Ultratec's dedicated CapTel hardware on the same end-user need.
• Bellman & Symfon: Swedish manufacturer of alerting devices and amplified listening products for people with hearing loss; competes with Ultratec's Simplicity Signalers and CrystalTone amplified-phone lines in adjacent assistive-tech categories.

Broad incumbents

• Clarity (Poly / HP Poly): Manufacturer of amplified telephones (including the former Ameriphone line) and assistive communication hardware; competes with Ultratec's CrystalTone and CapTel hardware in the hearing-loss consumer segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ultratec