O2 UK Trial Mobile Call Quality Boosting Tech for People with Hearing Loss

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has joined with cloud-native network software provider Mavenir to trial a new network-level technology, which created a personalised hearing profile for participants with hearing loss and allowed the network to automatically optimise their calls in real time – making them easier to hear.

The Proof-of-Concept (PoC) trial, which works seamlessly in the background of O2’s 4G and 5G mobile network, doesn’t require customers to use any special devices (participants simply used their existing mobile phone and number) and instead improves call clarity by “tailoring the call audio to their individual hearing needs in real time“.

All the participants in the trial needed to do was to complete a short, automated hearing test to identify how they perceive different sound frequencies – this generated the personalised hearing profile. Nearly 90% of those who took part reported improvements in call clarity, with many also noting “reduced listening effort and a more natural calling experience“.

Mary Higgins, a profoundly deaf participant in the trial, said:

“I usually find phone calls tiring and stressful, even with hearing aids. Making a call without them is almost impossible. Using the technology was a completely different experience, as I could hear clearly without my hearing aids and didn’t need to keep asking people to repeat themselves.”

Jorge Ribeiro, Director of Core Networks at VMO2, said:

“For many people with hearing loss, making a phone call can be a difficult and frustrating experience. This trial is about using the intelligence within our network to improve that experience without asking customers to do anything differently.”

The technology is still at an “early stage” and O2 said they’ve been encouraged by the early results. But there’s currently no indication of whether or when this technology might be made more widely available to their customer base.