Deaf community: ConnectHear & Ufone 4G launch AI-based early warning system

KARACHI: ConnectHear, Pakistan’s leading social enterprise working for disability inclusion in the country using technology, in collaboration with Ufone 4G (part of the PTCL Group) today unveiled first of its kind AI-powered Early Warning System ‘SUNO’ designed to deliver life-saving alerts in sign language for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

SUNO, supported and funded by GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund, addresses a critical gap in emergency communication, ensuring that Deaf individuals receive timely alerts during natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Through the system, sign language video alerts are instantly broadcast via Ufone’s WhatsApp bot, reaching at-risk individuals across Pakistan free of cost. ConnectHear creates the sign language content using state-of-the-art AI-powered technology, while Ufone provides the robust nationwide distribution infrastructure.

Hatem Bamatraf, President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone 4G, reaffirmed his commitment under the ‘Dil Se’ platform to harnessing technology for social good, saying, “Our collaboration with ConnectHear reflects our belief that true digital inclusion leaves no one behind. Through our partner ConnectHear, we are using technology with purpose to create impact that truly matters.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025