The Federal Communications Commission ( FCC ) has mandated that cell phones should be rated depending on how much interference they are likely to cause to hearing aids. The need for hearing aid compatible cell phones has increased due to the demand of people experiencing interferences. Several digital devices like cell phones and computers give off different kinds of radio frequency and electromagnetic radiation. This often results in hearing annoying interference when holding a cell phone or any other wireless device near to your hearing aid or cochlear implant.



"Presidential hearing aid history includes President Ronald Reagan and President Bill Clinton, two presidents of very different ages who both wore hearing aids."

The interference is typically in the form of buzzing or humming, which can make it hard for you to comprehend speech. There are also known cases where the severity of the interference can render your cell phone completely useless when you are wearing hearing aids.

The hearing aid compatible cell phones are rated through radio frequency emissions ( RF ). Additionally, the RF rating can be measured through the microphone ( M ) rating and the telecoil coupling ( T or t - coil ) rating. The scale for hearing aid compatibility ranges from one to four providing four possibilities: shaky ( M1 or T1 ), fair ( M2 or T2 ), good ( M3 or T3 ), and excellent ( M4 or T4 ).

"Considering advances in technology, and the ability of science to shrink useful items, the hearing aid of the future is likely to be an implantable device or even a surgical procedure"

The hearing aid compatible cell phones should only have three or four rating and those having one or two ratings are deemed unacceptable.

The Federal Communications Commission also ordered cell phone manufacturers to provide an icon on their products indicating that the products are hearing aid compatible cell phones. There is also an indication showing the level of compatibility for both the microphone and t - coil rating.

"There are at least two hearing aid manufacturers claiming to make the smallest hearing aid in the world"

The hearing aids must also be designed to be resistant from radio frequency interference. The scale rating of RF interference resistance for hearing aids is similar to cell phone ratings. There are currently a number of hearing aids that have a rating of M2 and T2.

Manufacturers of Hearing Aid Compatible Cell Phones

There are several manufacturers of hearing aid compatible cell phones for hearing - impaired customers. AT&T carries Motorola cell phones models that are hearing aid compatible including: the Motorola RAZR V3xx, Motorola RAZR V3, Motorola KRZR K11, and the Motorola RAZR2 V9.

"However amazing the world's smallest hearing aids are, they still might be the wrong hearing aids for you. Since you will be working with these devices every day, you need to be comfortable handling them, putting them on and taking them off"

In any event, AT&T also carries hearing aid compatible cell phones from other manufacturers such as LG and Samsung. The LG Shine, LG CU515, LG Trax CU575, LG CE110, Samsung A727 and Moto Q9h Global are some of the few hearing aid compatible cell phones available in the market.

There are other cell phone carriers that provide communication lines for several hearing aid compatible cell phones. Such carries are Nextel, Sprint, T - Mobile and Verizon.