Major Hearing Device Manufacturer
Association Outlines the Benefits
Auracast™ Broadcast Audio Will Bring
to Hearing Aid Users

The European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA) represents the major European hearing instrument manufacturers, offering smart hearing aid and implant solutions for people with hearing loss. Members of EHIMA develop, manufacture, and market hearing instruments on a large scale in one or more countries in Europe as well as exporting their products worldwide. Products manufactured by EHIMA members account for 90 percent of the global market share.

In a recent interview with Nikolai Bisgaard from EHIMA, we discussed the impact  Auracast™ broadcast audio will have on hearing aids and assistive listening systems.

Q&A with Nikolai Bisgaard from EHIMA

What is your role in the development of the Bluetooth LE Audio specifications?

EHIMA approached the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) in 2013 with a wish for specific features that would allow hearing aids to employ Bluetooth^® technology to expand the connectivity to other devices. Low power operation makes Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) the most attractive version for hearing aids, but the lack of an audio transmission protocol was a serious shortcoming at the time. Having worked in the hearing aid industry for decades, I realized the huge potential of the new version and have been employed by EHIMA to promote the new standard.

What has you most excited about Auracast™ broadcast audio, and how might it impact the lives of people with hearing loss?

Auracast™ broadcast audio opens up amazing opportunities for streaming audio signals to large audiences without prior pairing of the source and the hearing aids.

Many people with hearing loss must have access to assistive listening systems with direct streaming to fully enjoy sound in public venues where competing noise and reverberation pose serious challenges. When an affordable mainstream technology like Bluetooth can provide such services, we will see a proliferation of assistive listening systems to the benefit of hearing aid users across the world. Many users of headsets and earbuds will also benefit from these new opportunities.

Can you explain the difference between Auracast™ broadcast audio and existing options (e.g., telecoil/loop, etc.)?

Auracast™ broadcast audio will have many advantages over the telecoil/loop systems. Improved sound quality and no interference from other electronic devices are important benefits. The ease of installation of a wireless system will also help to make this technology popular.