A survey of telephone use by 66 patients fitted with the Ineraid cochlear prosthesis revealed that 51% initiate telephone calls (most calls are to family or friends) and that 66% answer the telephone. Of the patients who answer the telephone, 49% indicated that they could identify the gender and/or age of the caller most of the time, 27% could identify a familiar caller most of the time, and 48% indicated that they could understand a conversation most of the time if speaking to a familiar speaker about a familiar topic. Understanding dropped rapidly as the speaker and topic became unfamiliar.