Ufone 4G, the mobile unit of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), said on Thursday it has partnered with local assistive technology startup ConnectHear for a GSMA-funded project that will use AI to improve disaster-response communications for deaf people.
Under the project – which is backed by funding from the GSMA Innovation Fund for Humanitarian Challenges – the two companies will enhance ConnectHear’s virtual interpretation services to function in low-bandwidth environments and develop an AI-powered system that automatically generates early warning messages in sign language.
Ufone said this will allow deaf individuals to receive critical, real-time updates during emergencies, bridging a critical gap in disaster communication. Ufone will also zero-rate the ConnectHear app on its network, so that even users with no data package or mobile balance can use it.
Syed Atif Raza, group chief commercial officer for PTCL and Ufone 4G, said the partnership will break down financial and technical barriers for the over 10 million people in Pakistan who are deaf or hard of hearing, who are frequently excluded from early warning systems due to communication barriers.
“By enabling AI-driven sign language alerts and providing zero-rated access to the ConnectHear app, we are removing barriers that often isolate vulnerable communities during critical times,” he said in a statement.
“By optimizing our services for low-bandwidth environments and generating automated sign language alerts, we are ensuring that deaf communities receive the life-saving information they need in real time,” said Arhum Ishtiaq, co-founder and CTO of ConnectHear.
Pakistan is becoming increasingly prone to weather-related natural disasters, according to recent reports that list Pakistan among the ten most affected countries by climate-related disasters.
This year alone, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the monsoon season from July to September has resulted in flooding that has displaced over 600,000 people. Two years ago, over 30 million people in Pakistan were impacted by severe floods in 2022 .
Phillipe Bellordre, head of GSMA Innovation Fund, GSMA, said successful implementation of the project will serve as a model for other countries and humanitarian organizations looking to improve disaster preparedness for vulnerable populations.
