Assistive listening technology is one of the most impactful and often overlooked areas of workplace AV. For the millions of people in the UK who live with hearing loss, a well-designed system can be the difference between full participation in a meeting and sitting in a room where conversation is largely inaccessible. Understanding how these systems work, where they fit, and how the technology is evolving is increasingly important for anyone involved in workplace design, AV, or facilities management.
The technology landscape in this space is genuinely changing. Induction loops have been the established standard for decades, and they remain a compliant and effective solution when properly installed and maintained. Alongside them, infrared systems offer strong advantages in spaces where confidentiality matters. And on the horizon, Auracast, based on Bluetooth LE Audio, is beginning to reshape what assistive listening could look like in the next generation of workplaces.
This blog is intended as a practical guide. It covers what each technology is and how it works, where each fits best, what compliance requires, and how to think about decisions being made right now given where the technology is heading.
What is Assistive Listening Technology? (In simple terms)
In simple terms, assistive listening technology acts as a direct wireless link between a room’s audio system and a person’s ears.
For years, the “standard” has been the Induction Loop, sometimes referred to as AFILS (Audio Frequency Induction Loop Systems). This is the most commonly deployed system type consisting of a copper wire or tape hidden under the floor or around the walls. It creates a magnetic field that a hearing aid picks up directly. This is fed from the sound system, meaning the listener receiver more direct sound, and less background noise. While these copper loops are common, the technology is now shifting toward digital and light-based systems, like Infrared and Bluetooth (Auracast), which offer better privacy and clearer sound for modern devices.
The compliance picture
Assistive listening provision in the UK is not a matter of best practice. It is a legal requirement, and the obligations apply to corporate organisations just as they do to any other.
The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities, including hearing loss. The duty is triggered once an employer is aware, or ought reasonably to be aware, of an employee’s hearing loss. Larger organisations may be expected to provide more extensive support due to their greater resources and scale. The Act also covers service providers, extending the obligation to visiting clients and partners, not only to staff.
Building Regulations Part M
For new builds and significant refurbishments, Part M requires reasonable provision to be made for people with hearing impairments. In practice, this often includes assistive listening systems in spaces used for communication, such as lecture rooms, presentation spaces, and some meeting rooms, particularly where speech clarity may be affected by distance, background noise, or room layout. If an organisation is fitting out new space or redesigning meeting areas, assistive listening should be considered as part of the brief from the outset.
BS 8300:2018 and IEC 60118-4
BS 8300 is the British Standard for accessible building design and the benchmark that regulators and courts use when assessing whether reasonable adjustments have been made. It sets detailed recommendations covering system placement, installation quality, testing, signage, and ongoing maintenance. IEC 60118-4 is the performance standard for induction loop systems specifically, defining the field strength and audio quality a system must achieve to be genuinely fit for purpose. A system that has never been tested against this standard cannot be assumed to meet it, regardless of when it was installed.
The key point for organisations reviewing existing provision: compliance is not a one-time status. It requires ongoing maintenance, periodic testing, and an understanding of whether the technology in place still performs as intended. An induction loop installed in 2015 and never tested since may well fail to meet the standard today, exposing the organisation to the same legal risk as having no provision at all.
The problem with legacy induction loop installations
When properly designed, installed, and maintained, they work well and remain a compliant solution. However, this isn’t always the case.
Common issues with legacy installations include:
- Systems installed to a lower standard of the IEC 60118-4 specification, or never tested against it at all
- Copper tape that has degraded, been damaged during refurbishments, or been interrupted by subsequent building works
- Amplifiers that have drifted out of specification and are no longer delivering adequate field strength
- Poor integration with the wider AV system, meaning the audio signal feeding the loop is noisy, unbalanced, or incorrectly levelled
- No signage, so users are unaware the system exists
- No maintenance record and no staff awareness of how to check the system is active or no test equipment to allow check to be carried out
Traditional perimeter loops also present a signal spillage problem that is particularly relevant in corporate environments. Unless a low-spill loop design has been implemented, a magnetic field does not stop at a wall. In a building with multiple adjacent meeting rooms, loop signal from one room can be picked up in another, creating a confidentiality risk that is too often overlooked during installation.
None of this means legacy loop systems should be dismissed. A well-designed, properly commissioned and maintained induction loop remains one of the most effective assistive listening solutions available for meeting rooms, requiring no additional hardware for users with telecoil-enabled hearing aids. The issue is not the technology itself; it is the condition of a great many installations.
The main assistive listening technologies: A plain English guide
There are three established technologies used in modern assistive listening for corporate environments, plus a fourth that is emerging and will become increasingly relevant for the coming years. Each has genuine strengths and specific limitations.
Induction Loops (AFILS)
How they work: A cable loop runs around or under the floor, connected to an amplifier. The loop generates a magnetic field that telecoil-enabled hearing aids and cochlear implants pick up directly. No extra receiver is needed.
Best for: Dedicated meeting rooms, boardrooms, and conference spaces where users have telecoil-enabled hearing aids.
Strengths: Seamless for users, integrates easily with AV systems, and remains compliant when installed and maintained to standard.
Limitations: Signal can spill beyond the room. Structural materials (e.g. metal) may interfere, requiring multi-loop and specialist configurations. Performance degrades without maintenance.
Infrared systems
How they work: An emitter converts audio into infrared light broadcast within a room. Users wear a receiver (or use a neckloop with hearing aids) to receive audio.
Best for: Spaces where confidentiality is a priority — boardrooms, executive suites, legal meeting rooms, and consultation rooms. Also, a practical alternative where loop installation would be structurally invasive.
Strengths: Because infrared light cannot pass through walls or solid objects, audio is physically contained within the room and virtually impossible to intercept. Supports multiple simultaneous channels, making it well suited to spaces used for interpretation or where separate audio streams are needed.
Limitations: Users must collect and return a receiver, which requires some management. A direct line of sight between the emitter and receiver is required — if someone moves between the two, or seating arrangements place users in shadow, the signal can be interrupted. Strong ambient light can also affect performance, and the technology is not suitable for outdoor use.
Auracast
How it works: Bluetooth LE Audio broadcast sends a stream to compatible hearing aids, cochlear implants, or earbuds. Users select the stream on their device—no receiver or telecoil required. Some newer smartphones now support Bluetooth LE natively, and for other devices, users can access streams via a dedicated mobile app.
Best for: New installations and spaces where future-proofing is important, especially where multiple streams may be needed.
Strengths: No extra hardware needed for users with compatible devices, works with modern earbuds, and can integrate with AV systems where supported.
Limitations: User’s device compatibility is still limited but growing significantly, and not all AV systems fully support Auracast yet. The international standard IEC 60118-17, which will define compliance benchmarks for verified assistive listening, is expected in late 2027. Until then, Auracast should be considered a supplement rather than a standalone solution for meeting assistive listening obligations.
The direction of travel
Assistive listening is moving in a direction that makes it less visible and less burdensome for users. Auracast, when widely adopted, will mean that a person with hearing loss can walk into a correctly equipped meeting room and receive audio directly through devices they already own, selecting the stream much like connecting to a Wi-Fi network. That is a significant shift from the current model.
We are already seeing the first generation of these systems in real-world deployment. Auri (a joint product from Ampetronic and Listen Technologies), launched globally in early 2025 and is already installed across stadiums, universities, underground and train stations, and corporate environments. The momentum has only increased in early 2026, with major landmarks like Frankfurt Airport and the Sydney Opera House now live with Auracast systems. While we are in a transition period where receivers are still required for legal compliance, the move toward a “bring your own device” digital standard is officially underway.
This shift toward Auracast (Bluetooth LE Audio) will eventually make assistive listening as seamless as connecting to a Wi-Fi network. However, until the majority of hearing aids and consumer earbuds natively support this standard, organisations must continue to provide a “bridge”—typically in the form of a digital receiver (such as the Listen Technologies and Ampetronic neck-loop lanyards showcased at ISE 2026) or an infrared neck-loop—to ensure they meet their current legal duties under the Equality Act.
What this means for organisations right now
The technology picture is in transition, but the legal obligations are not. That combination creates a clear set of priorities for any organisation reviewing its assistive listening provision.
Audit what you have.
Many organisations have assistive listening systems somewhere in their building that have never been formally assessed. The first step is understanding what exists, whether it has been tested against the relevant performance standard, and whether it is actually functioning. A system that passed on installation but has never been checked since cannot be assumed to still comply.
Match the technology to the space and the use case.
Induction loops remain the right choice for many meeting rooms. Infrared is worth serious consideration in spaces where confidential conversations are the norm. For new fit-outs and major refurbishments, it is worth designing in Auracast readiness alongside a compliant loop or infrared system, so the infrastructure is in place as the Auracast ecosystem matures.
Design assistive listening into the AV brief from the start.
Whether the technology is a loop, infrared, or Auracast, it will only perform as well as the audio signal feeding it. The assistive listening system and the meeting room AV need to be designed, integrated, and commissioned together.
Do not treat Auracast as a replacement yet.
Auracast is likely to eventually become the dominant option. The direction of travel is clear, and many major hearing aid manufacturers are moving toward Auracast compatibility. But the international standard is still over a year away, and the installed base of Auracast-compatible hearing aids remains limited. The right posture today is to plan for Auracast, not to depend on it.
Build in maintenance.
Any assistive listening system, regardless of technology, requires periodic testing and maintenance to remain compliant and functional. This should be included as a standard element of any AV support or PPM programme.
Talk to MVS
At MVS, we work with corporate organisations to design, install, and maintain assistive listening systems as a fully integrated part of their AV across a variety of spaces. Whether you need an audit of existing provision, a specification for new spaces, or advice on how to approach Auracast readiness within a wider AV programme, our team can help.
We work with leading manufacturers including Ampetronic and Williams AV, and our approach starts with understanding the space, the use case, and the people who will use it, before any technology recommendation is made.
📞 020 3411 1630 📧 sales@mvs.co.uk
Disclaimer: MVS are specialists in AV and assistive listening technology, not legal practitioners. While this guide reflects current UK standards and legislation as of 2026, it should not be taken as formal legal advice. Compliance requirements can vary based on specific building use and organisational scale.