MTS reported that its service for the hearing impaired, 'Secretary for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing,' facilitated approximately 500,000 calls across Russia over the past six months. Between March and August 2026, the tool enabled users to process over 496,000 incoming voice calls.
The technology functions by converting incoming speech into text in real time, while simultaneously synthesizing the user's written responses into voice for the caller. This allows individuals with hearing impairments to manage calls independently without requiring external assistance.
According to MTS, the service is most frequently utilized for communication with family members, banking institutions, medical facilities, and delivery services. The typical user of the platform is identified as a male between the ages of 35 and 44.
Maxim Ledentsov, acting director of MTS in the Nizhny Novgorod region, stated that the service is available free of charge to all company subscribers. The initiative aims to provide equal communication opportunities for all customers regardless of their hearing capabilities.
