Business Editors/High Tech Writers
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 31, 2000
GTE TSI and Voice Access Technologies Announce Nine-City Rollout of
Voice-Activated Traffic and Mobile Yellow Pages
GTE Telecommunications Services Inc. (GTE TSI, a division of GTE), (NYSE: GTE) and Voice Access Technologies of San Jose Wednesday announced a nine-city launch of location-specific, voice Internet access for wireless carriers, starting in San Francisco and continuing through the summer to eight additional major U.S. wireless markets: Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
Voice-activated live traffic reports and "mobile yellow pages" are the first services being made available to wireless carriers. The services will allow wireless subscribers to verbally request traffic for a specific location, or ask for a business listing nearby, and listen to an audio response culled from the Web.
"Our significant investment in this coast-to-coast product launch speaks to our belief that combining voice and location-finding technologies is the next wireless jackpot," said Terry Lewis, president-GTE TSI of Tampa Bay, Fla.
"How many times have you been stuck in a traffic jam that could have been avoided with a warning just a few minutes sooner? Any commuter will tell you that radio traffic reports are simply unreliable in major metropolitan areas," Lewis said. "That's why we believe that we have the 'killer app' for wireless operators to offer their subscribers -- up-to-the-minute traffic reports available at the command of your voice."
According to William D. Brockmeyer II, president and chief executive officer of Voice Access Technologies, "This technology launch makes it possible for the 86-million wireless subscribers in the U.S. to receive voice-based Internet access from their carriers for the first time. Because our system works on any current or future cell phones, we believe that carriers will become the dominant providers of these services to wireless users."
The voice Internet access services are designed to be simple, easy and safe to use, especially while driving, replacing the need for button-pushing or text-based messages to retrieve information.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, traffic content is supplied by the California Highway Patrol and other government agencies. It is updated every one-to-four minutes offering far more reliable, timely and location-specific information than the routine radio reports normally available to commuters.
Mark Plakias, director, voice and wireless commerce at The Kelsey Group, said, "All of our research indicates that accurate traffic updates are the clear No. 1 priority application for wireless customers -- this is information a significant number of wireless users will pay for. The combination of Voice Access Technologies' unique approach, and GTE TSI's strength in information services distribution suggest this will be the first major deployment of voice portal services for the wireless industry."
The mobile yellow pages feature will provide the nearest requested retail establishment based on the subscriber's location. This information will be updated daily and will be derived from the Internet as well as other sources.
The voice Internet access technology are features of GTE TSI's INPosition location-based service, utilizing wireless E911 location-finding technology and content from Voice Access and other partners. The GTE TSI -- Voice Access product uses speech recognition, a technology that actually understands and digitizes human speech. This technology is considered to be more sensitive than voice recognition, which must be trained to respond to a particular voice.
Unlike other voice Internet access services available, the length and content of INPosition traffic reports are unrelated to any advertising contracts. Wireless operators do have the option to brand the service and feature local traffic slang or appropriate regional accents.
About GTE TSI
GTE Telecommunication Services Inc. (GTE TSI), based in Tampa, Fla., USA, is a global supplier of interoperability solutions to wireless, wireline, paging and Internet service providers to help them deliver seamless service and advanced features to their customers. In addition to operating the world's largest wireless data clearinghouse, GTE TSI's broad array of products includes inter-standard wireless roaming solutions, intelligent network services, fraud management solutions and other types of service bureau applications that simplify the complex technical and business relationships that exist in today's competitive global telecommunications industry.
GTE TSI's customer base includes more than 220 telecommunications operators located in North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. GTE TSI is a strategic business unit of GTE Corp., a leading telecommunications provider with 1998 reported revenues of more than $25 billion. GTE's international operations serve 6.1 million access lines and provide wireless and paging services to 1.5 million customers. To learn more about GTE TSI, visit www.tsi.gte.com.
About Voice Access Technologies
Voice Access Technologies (www.voice-access.com) provides state-of-the-art voice-activated solutions and service availability management, allowing businesses to offer their customers interactive, voice-activated information via telephone or other communications devices.
Editor's Note: contact GTE TSI or Hilary Kaye Associates below for a product demonstration.
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