Mobile phones provide a convenient means of keeping in touch and have become an important part of daily life. If you are one of over 450,000 Australians who wears a hearing aid1, there are some things you need to know about your hearing aid and mobile phones.
Australian Hearing / National Acoustics Laboratories has published a brochure 'Hearing aids and mobile phones'. This brochure provides information about how hearing aids work and how in some cases, hearing aids can be affected by certain radio signals from some mobile phones, which may result in an audible buzz. The brochure also provides tips on purchasing both a hearing aid and a mobile phone to minimise/eliminate any potential for interference, and contact details for more information.
The brochure explains that most hearing aid users who can successfully use a normal fixed line phone or have used a Telstra CDMA mobile phone in the past, can successfully use a 3G mobile phone without the need for an accessory in most situations. Technical tests conducted by the National Acoustics Laboratories (NAL) on Telstra's Next G™ network (WCDMA) have validated this2. Further, successful trials with a range of Telstra Next G™ handsets by NAL3 and people with hearing aids and cochlear implants in city and country locations confirm the success of the technical tests.
So take advantage of Telstra's Next G™ network features – which covers 99 per cent of the Australian population – and get connected with the confidence that it will continue to deliver the same excellent performance with your hearing aid or cochlear implant that you've been used to. First check that our Next G™ network delivers coverage to your area by talking to one of our Telstra customer sales representatives.
Telstra recommends that people with hearing aids "try out" a number of mobile devices with their hearing aid to find the combination which works best for them.
For any questions please visit your local Telstra Shop, call Telstra on 1800 220 034, or visit www.telstra.com/nextg
- Australian Bureau of Statistics study of Disability, Ageing and Carers in the Australian population (4430.0/2003).
- Exploratory Investigation of WCDMA Interference to Hearing aids and mobile phones (PDF 294 KB)
- Next G™ mobile handsets: Next G Compatibility with Hearing Aids in Telecoil and Microphone Setting (PDF 512 KB)
Important Update
Telstra’s network changes may have affected using a mobile phone with your hearing aid.
If you wear a hearing aid1, you can generally use a 3G mobile phone without needing an accessory. However, we made network changes on the 31 August 2012 that might affect you – depending on the types of mobile device/s you’re using.
We previously operated two 3G mobile frequency bands: our Next G® network on 850 Megahertz [MHz], and an older 2100 MHz network.
We made changes to the 3G 2100MHz network, as we ended our agreement to share it with Vodafone Hutchinson Australia. We made these changes from the 31 August 2012. More details are available on our information page.
Sound quality may deteriorate.
If your phone is not Next G compatible, and you have a hearing aid or a cochlear implant, you may experience a disruption when using your device for voice calls. For example, there might be an audible buzz.
Also, your reception and services may have changed including your 3G data and internet services, video calling and Mobile Foxtel from Telstra. If you use your mobile device for internet browsing, you’ll also notice a reduction in your browsing speed.
If your handset isn’t Next G® compatible we recommend upgrading to one that is.
We offer compatible mobile handsets for hearing aid users.
Some of our mobile handsets have been designed and tested to deliver excellent hearing aid compatibility. Examples of these include our Telstra EasyTouch Discovery and EasyCall models.
However, before choosing a handset – we recommend you first ‘try out’ a number of phones and smartphones with your hearing aid/cochlear implant. View our latest range at www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/. If you’d like to know more, call us on below numbers or visit your Telstra Shop.
- 132 200 for residential Post-Paid enquiries or
- 132 000 or contact your Telstra Account Executive for business enquiries
- 1800 730 053 or you can contact your Account Executive for Enterprise and Government customer enquiries
If you wear a hearing aid or use a cochlear impact and are concerned about these network changes, contact us on 1800 286 980 so we can discuss with you suitable device options.
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