O2-Mavenir trial improves call clarity for hearing loss by 90%

Nearly 90% of participants in an O2 and Mavenir proof-of-concept trial reported clearer phone conversations. The network automatically adjusted the audio stream to each caller's hearing profile.

The trial required no new hardware or app downloads. Participants completed a short hearing test on their mobile phone. That test mapped how they perceived different sound frequencies. The results generated a personal hearing profile linked to the caller's mobile number. When a call connected, O2's network adapted the speech delivery in real time, tuning it to that profile.

Existing accessibility features on phones or hearing aids operate at the device level. This approach worked inside the network, before audio reached the handset. Participants used their existing phones and numbers exactly as before. The audio sounded different without any action on their part.

Mary Higgins, a profoundly deaf participant, said the experience was a complete change from her usual calls. "I usually find phone calls tiring and stressful, even with hearing aids. Making a call without them is almost impossible," she said. "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."