Hearing aid compatibility with wireless communications devices

With the introduction of higher frequency communications devices and particularly with the increased use of digital communication formats, significant compatibility issues between hearing aids and these devices have been heightened in importance. In late 1995, the FCC called the cellular phone industry and hearing instrument industry together to address the issue of hearing aid interference. At that point it was becoming increasingly apparent that cellular phones using digital transmission formats could interfere with many hearing aids. This paper presents some of the technical challenges and measurement techniques developed to resolve this interference issue