Nortel Deploys Voice-Activated Dialing Service

Strategic Insights -

Nortel has become the first telecommunications equipment manufacturer to deploy speaker-independent, large-vocabulary, speech-recognition technology through a wide-scale market trial of SaskTel's VoiceConnect, a voice-activated dialing service. This groundbreaking technology allows consumers to call subscribing businesses by simply speaking the name of the desired business after pressing a code on their telephone keypads. VoiceConnect is a significant step forward in satisfying business customers, especially those that rely heavily on customer ordering and service by telephone. The service has been made possible through Nortel's Network Applications Vehicle (NAV) and Flexible Vocabulary Recognition (FVR) technology developed by BNR, Nortel's research and development subsidiary.

Key Takeaways:

  • Nortel's speaker-independent, large-vocabulary, speech-recognition technology has been deployed through a wide-scale market trial of SaskTel's VoiceConnect, a voice-activated dialing service.
  • VoiceConnect allows consumers to call subscribing businesses by simply speaking the name of the desired business after pressing a code on their telephone keypads.
  • The service is a significant step forward in satisfying business customers, especially those that rely heavily on customer ordering and service by telephone.
  • VoiceConnect has been made possible through Nortel's Network Applications Vehicle (NAV) and Flexible Vocabulary Recognition (FVR) technology developed by BNR, Nortel's research and development subsidiary.
  • The technology enables speech recognition-based applications to identify and respond accurately to a large volume of words and individual speech patterns.
  • Nortel has introduced several speech applications, including automated alternate-billing service, automated directory assistance, and StockTalk, which provides real-time stock quotations by speaking the name of a stock listing into the telephone.
  • Nortel's NAV platform provides a broad portfolio of voice recognition and visual-display services, making it a competitive advantage for businesses.
  • Nortel is one of the world's most broadly diversified developers of communications products, systems, and networks in three key market segments: Enterprise Networks, Wireless Networks, and Carrier Networks.
  • Nortel had 1994 revenues of $US 8.9 billion and has approximately 60,000 employees worldwide.

Statistics:

  • Nortel has introduced several speech applications since 1989.
  • Nortel's NAV platform provides a broad portfolio of voice recognition and visual-display services.
  • Nortel's voice-activated dialing service, VoiceConnect, has been deployed through a wide-scale market trial.
  • Nortel has approximately 60,000 employees worldwide.

Sources:

  • Nortel's press conference in Regina, Saskatchewan on Thursday.
  • SaskTel's VoiceConnect service announcement.
  • Nortel's Network Applications Vehicle (NAV) and Flexible Vocabulary Recognition (FVR) technology.
  • BNR, Nortel's research and development subsidiary.
  • Nortel's 1994 revenues: $US 8.9 billion.