The quality of audio in mobile phone conversations has much room for improvement. On January 26, 2010, voice processor semiconductor company Audience announced plans to deliver noise suppression technology solutions for AT&T wireless devices. Based on reverse-engineering the human hearing system, the Audience voice processor chip can identify the primary voice in conversation and cancel out background noise, intermittent sounds and echoes, whether speaking or listening, to improve mobile call quality in noisy environments.
The Audience noise suppression technology was introduced across mobile handsets in the first half of 2010.
For mobile customers, the technology significantly improves the quality of voice communications, by providing immunity to background noise, and automatically adjusting voice volume and equalization during calls to adapt to local noise interference. The technology also enhances performance for voice-based mobile applications such as voice search and user verification.