CAPTEL INC.

What CAPTEL INC. does

CapTel Inc. is a Madison, Wisconsin-based private company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Ultratec, Inc. that develops and distributes captioned telephone solutions for individuals with hearing loss in the United States. Its portfolio includes multiple dedicated hardware models (CapTel 840i, 2400i, 880i, 800, 840, 200, and Braille CapTel) and the Hamilton Mobile CapTel app for iOS and Android, all of which display real-time captions of the remote caller's speech on a built-in screen or mobile device. The core technology is automatic speech recognition that transcribes inbound audio into text captions during live telephone calls, supplemented by live communications assistants who correct transcripts and add call details; the underlying IP is covered by 28 granted US patents and the registered CapTel trademark.

Name

CAPTEL INC.

Legal name

CapTel, Inc.

Website

https://captel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CapTel Inc., a subsidiary of Ultratec, develops captioned telephones and the Hamilton Mobile CapTel app that display real-time speech-to-text captions during phone calls for individuals with hearing loss in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Captioned Telephones

NAICS

Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing (33421)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Assistive Input & Mobility Access (Alternative Keyboards/Mice, Switch Access, Eye Gaze) (EDAFAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Subtitling & Captioning Services (Timed Text, SDH/CC) (MPAHAFAA)

Keywords

• Captioned telephones
• Assistive hearing technology
• Speech-to-text captioning
• Accessible telecommunications
• Hearing loss solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: CapTel sells captioned telephone hardware to consumers. Internet-based CapTel phones are available at no cost to eligible individuals with hearing loss through state programs and federally funded initiatives. The company generates revenue from the sale of phones to qualified users and replacement units under warranty.
2. Captioning Service: CapTel captioning service is funded through a federally administered fund. There is a cost per minute for captions generated, which is paid from this fund rather than passed on to the CapTel user. The service is intended exclusively for individuals with hearing loss.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CapTel designs, assembles, and distributes captioned telephones (models 840i, 2400i, 880i, 800, 840, 200, and Braille CapTel) and the Hamilton Mobile CapTel mobile app, which use automatic speech recognition (backed by live communications assistants) to display real-time captions of telephone conversations. Internet-based CapTel phones are provided at no cost to eligible individuals with hearing loss through a federally funded program, and the captioning service is reimbursed on a per-minute basis from an FCC-administered fund.

Product overview

CapTel Inc. offers a unified portfolio of captioned telephones designed specifically for individuals with hearing loss. The core product line consists of hardware-based captioned telephone models (CapTel 840i, 2400i, 880i, 800, 840, 200) that display real-time captions of phone conversations on built-in screens. These models range from traditional-style phones (840i, 840) to touch-screen devices (2400i) and accessibility-focused units (880i, Braille CapTel). The company also provides Mobile CapTel via the Hamilton Mobile app for iOS and Android, extending captioning services to smartphones and tablets. An optional 2-Line CapTel service adds on-demand caption control and advanced calling features. All products leverage automatic speech recognition technology to generate captions, with captioning service costs covered by a federally administered fund for registered users with hearing loss.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CapTel: Captioned telephone solutions for people with hearing loss, including phone models 840i, 2400i, and 880i.
• Hamilton Mobile CapTel

Products and services

• CapTel 840i Traditional-style captioned telephone with a large easy-to-read display and built-in answering machine, designed for users comfortable with standard telephone interfaces who have hearing loss.
• CapTel 2400i Touch-screen captioned telephone with a large colorful display, dial-by-picture capability, and a built-in answering machine for users who prefer modern touchscreen technology.
• CapTel 880i Captioned telephone designed for users with low vision, featuring extra large font sizes and customizable display options for easy reading of captions.
• CapTel 800 Standard captioned telephone model that works with the CapTel Captioning Service over the telephone line to display real-time captions during calls.
• CapTel 840 Captioned telephone model supporting both 1-line and 2-line modes with built-in answering machine functionality.
• CapTel 200 USB-enabled captioned telephone model designed to work with standard analog telephone lines and computers.
• Braille CapTel Captioned telephone offering designed for visually impaired users, providing accessibility features including Braille support for individuals with combined hearing and vision loss.
• Hamilton Mobile CapTel Mobile application for iOS and Android that enables users to see captions during mobile phone conversations, bringing captioned telephone service to smartphones and tablets at no cost to individuals with hearing loss.

Quantifiable outcome

• CapTel service at no cost to eligible individuals with hearing loss through federally funded program

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026CapTel serves as a Hear for Life partner and key sponsor of the Walk4Hearing program, which has raised over $20 million over 24 years to support people living with hearing loss. CapTel President Robert Engelke serves as the 2026 national honorary chair of Walk4Hearing. The partnership involves sponsorship across 18 cities in the United States.
• Hamilton CapTelcoreTechnology or IntegrationHamilton CapTel is the Captioning Service provider for CapTel Captioned Telephones. They handle the technical captioning of phone calls using speech recognition technology and live communications assistants for corrections.
• ReSound North AmericaminorOthersCo-sponsor alongside CapTel in the Hear for Life partner program for Walk4Hearing, representing the hearing aid and assistive technology industry.
• Eli LillyminorOthersCo-sponsor alongside CapTel in the Hear for Life partner program for Walk4Hearing.
• T-MobileminorOthersCo-sponsor alongside CapTel in the Hear for Life partner program for Walk4Hearing.
• CaptifyminorOthersCo-sponsor alongside CapTel in the Hear for Life partner program for Walk4Hearing.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft (Live Captions / Teams Captions): Microsoft bundles live captioning across Windows, Teams, and other products. As native OS-level captioning becomes more capable, it functions as an indirect platform-level competitor to CapTel's specialized captioned-telephone service.
• Ultratec, Inc. CapTel's parent company and the holder of all CapTel patents and trademarks. Ultratec operates in the broader accessibility and telecommunications relay space and is comparable as the upstream owner of CapTel's IP and the wider assistive-communication portfolio.
• Google Live Captions (Android / Pixel): Google's Android and Pixel devices ship Live Captions for phone calls and media, providing free, on-device speech-to-text captioning. It is a platform-level alternative to CapTel's app-based offering for hearing-loss users on Android.
• Sorenson IP Relay / Video Relay Services: Sorenson and similar operators (e.g., ZP Better Together, Convo) provide IP Relay and Video Relay services that substitute for captioned-telephone service in some hearing-loss use cases. They draw on the same FCC TRS funding pool and compete for the same eligible user base.

Emerging players

• Otter.ai: Otter.ai delivers AI-powered speech-to-text transcription and live captioning across meetings, phone calls (via integrations), and consumer apps. Overlaps with CapTel's underlying speech-recognition technology and adjacent live-captioning consumer use cases.
• Ava: Ava provides real-time captioning for group conversations and meetings, including for deaf and hard-of-hearing users. It overlaps with CapTel on the ASR-driven live-captioning value proposition but focuses on in-person and video meeting use cases rather than telephone calls.

Direct peers

• InnoCaption: InnoCaption provides mobile captioning apps for deaf and hard-of-hearing users, including real-time caption display on smartphones. Directly competes with Hamilton Mobile CapTel on the mobile app side of the captioned-telephone market.
• Sorenson Communications (CaptionCall): Sorenson acquired CaptionCall, the closest direct competitor to CapTel in captioned-telephone hardware and IP-relay captioning service for the hearing-loss community. Operates under the same FCC TRS-funded model and serves the same federal-eligible customer segment.
• ClearCaptions: ClearCaptions provides captioned-telephone service and hardware to hearing-loss users, funded through the same federal TRS program as CapTel. It is one of the few directly comparable captioned-phone providers with overlapping distribution through state equipment programs.
• Hamilton CapTel (CapTel Captioning Service): Hamilton CapTel is the captioning service provider that generates the real-time captions powering CapTel devices and the Hamilton Mobile CapTel app. Operates in the same FCC-funded captioning value chain and is functionally inseparable from CapTel's offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNx-PTHqXtbhrr7vlUfjuVg
• Facebookfacebook.com/captel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/captelphone
• Instagraminstagram.com/captelphones
• Pinterestpinterest.com/captelphone
• Xx.com/captelphone

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CAPTEL INC.