This World Hearing Day, Cochlear brings the world’s first and only smart hearing implant system to India

• The new Cochlear™ Nucleus® Nexa® System is the first and only hearing implant featuring internal memory and upgradeable firmware.

• Approximately 63 million people in India suffer from significant auditory impairment, representing about 6.3% of the Indian population.

MUMBAI, India, March 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cochlear, the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, today launched the Cochlear™ Nucleus® Nexa® System – the world’s first and only smart cochlear implant system.

According to one study, more than one lakh babies are born annually with some form of hearing deficiency; four in 1,000 newborns suffer from severe to profound loss.

“The launch of the Nucleus Nexa System marks a defining moment in hearing care. Built around the evolving needs of recipients and the realities of modern life,” says Vandana Pisharody, Regional General Manager, South Asia & Southeast Asia says, speaking about what this breakthrough means to India. The Nexa system introduces a new category of smart hearing implant systems designed to support a more connected, responsive and future-ready hearing experience. 

“The technology advancements offered in the Nucleus Nexa System are built on more than 20 years of intensive research & development. As India continues to advance rapidly in digital innovation and AI-led transformation, we are proud to bring a breakthrough that reflects the same spirit of progress, helping recipients, clinicians and families navigate the future of hearing care with greater confidence,” says Pisharody.

The new Nucleus Nexa System offers the world’s first hearing implant solution with upgradeable implant firmware, revolutionising the way people with hearing loss can access future technology. Conventional cochlear implants available today can only access future innovation by upgrading their sound processor. But people using a Nucleus Nexa System can experience new features and advancements, via both updates to the firmware in their smart implant and upgrades to their sound processor over time.

Jan Janssen, Chief Technology Officer, explains that Cochlear has re-imagined the internal technology of the cochlear implant system: “The Nucleus Nexa System combines 40+ years of proven reliability of our trusted implants and technology leadership, with a new cutting-edge chipset, which is packed with innovative features,” he says. “With onboard diagnostics that monitor system performance to ensure optimal hearing, it reduces the burden on users and carers, setting a new standard in implantable hearing technology. The new chipset powers the implant, enabling the smart features of the system and it will serve as the platform for Cochlear’s future smart implant innovations.”

The Nucleus Nexa System is also the first implant with built-in memory, allowing the personalised hearing settings (MAPs) of the user to be securely stored directly in their Nexa implant.

“This is the first cochlear implant with its own firmware, so the device can be upgraded to new features and advancements throughout the lifetime of the user’s implant. Just like a smartphone receives a firmware update, now people with a Cochlear implant can stay connected to the latest technology updates today and well into the future,” says Janssen.

To make hearing easier, the Nucleus Nexa System intuitively responds to changing needs throughout each day. It can automatically adjust listening to help people hear more clearly. The Nexa implant also features a new gold implant coil and new RF Link technology with dynamic power management. This facilitates more efficient power and data transfer between the sound processor and the implant and automatically maximises battery life for each user. 

“We designed the new System with the goal to deliver better solutions to our customers today and into the future. The Nucleus Nexa System comes with a distinct advantage, allowing user’s personalised hearing settings (MAPS) to be stored securely in the implant’s in-built memory. This advancement offers unmatched convenience and efficiency both for the user and the clinician,” Janssen adds.

He went on to elaborate on the many advantages of the new smart cochlear implant system.

“Previously, if a user misplaced or damaged their sound processor, they would need to visit a clinic to obtain a replacement sound processor. This replacement device would need to be programmed with the user’s personalised hearing settings in the clinic by a cochlear implant professional, taking valuable time from both the professional and the user,” he explains. “With the brand-new ‘Smart Sync’ feature, the user simply needs to pick-up or receive a ‘blank’ sound processor and the personalised settings are automatically copied to the replacement sound processor allowing a person to hear with their cochlear implant again in a matter of seconds.”

One of the first people in the world with a Nucleus Nexa System is Melbourne, Australia based Stephen Dyt who has been living with hearing loss his whole life.

“My experience with hearing loss started with seeing both my grandmother and father struggle with hearing loss,” said Dyt. “It was something I have lived with my entire adult life. Since I was 17 years of age, I have worn hearing aids but in the last few years, I wasn’t getting the same benefit, and I was struggling to hear in settings I previously coped well in.”

His family and friends noticed this change, and he decided it was time to explore a cochlear implant. “When the opportunity came to be one of the first people to receive this new cochlear implant, I was extremely nervous and excited,” Dyt says. “This new implant has dramatically changed things for me and most importantly, my family. I am now able to interact and live with confidence and life is a lot easier as I can now hear clearly.”

Cochlear has provided more than 750,000 hearing implants to people around the world.

Availability: The new Cochlear™ Nucleus® Nexa™ System is available in India from 01 March 2026. For further information, please visit www.cochlear.com/in

View product explainer here: https://youtu.be/sVHG0okmE-g?si=cIbnVZjs6QnJr46f

About Cochlear Implants

Unlike hearing aids which increase the volume of sound, cochlear implants work by enhancing sound clarity, bypassing the damaged part of the ear entirely to stimulate the hearing nerve directly. Cochlear implants focus on enhancing clarity of sound, while hearing aids mostly work by making sounds louder. This clarity could help people reclaim their confidence and fully immerse themselves in the meaningful moments of everyday life.

About the Cochlear™ Nucleus® Nexa™ System

The new system includes the Nucleus Nexa Implant, the Nucleus Kanso® 3 Nexa Sound Processor and the Nucleus 8 Nexa Sound Processor. The Nucleus Nexa Implant and sound processors are supported by Nucleus SmartNav, Nucleus Smart App, Custom Sound® Pro fitting software and wireless accessories. The new Nucleus® Nexa® System can learn about its user’s listening needs and the environment they are in. It can then automatically adjust listening or power management settings to help people hear more clearly or maximise battery life. Users can enjoy clearer sound streamed directly from compatible mobile devices and, in the future, at airports, concert venues and more using Bluetooth® LE Audio and Auracast™ broadcast audio.

About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

People have always been Cochlear’s inspiration, ever since Professor Graeme Clark set out to create the first multi-channel cochlear implant after seeing his father struggle with hearing loss. Since 1981, Cochlear has helped more than 750,000 people in more than 180 countries to hear. As the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, Cochlear connects people with life’s opportunities, and welcomes them to the world’s largest hearing implant community. Cochlear has a global workforce of more than 5,000 people, with a passion for progress, who strive to meet the needs of people living with hearing loss. The company continually innovates to anticipate future needs, investing more than AUD $3 billion to date in research and development to push the boundaries of technology and help more people hear. www.cochlear.com

“This is a company press release that is not part of editorial content. No journalist of The Hindu was involved in the publication of this release.”

Published – March 04, 2026 09:38 am IST