ERICSSON TO OFFER VOICE ACTIVATED DIALLING SERVICES IN GSM NETWORKS

Ericsson has signed agreements with Brite and Vocalis, two leading voice processing specialist companies, for integrating voice activated dialling services into Ericsson's total solutions for GSM network operators.

Under the agreements, Ericsson is offering voice activated dialling services to GSM network operators today. These offerings are certified total solutions, including service and support for Ericsson's customers.

Voice activated dialling services enable end-users to "dial" a number by saying the name or telephone number of the person they wish to call. The dialling is then activated via the voice commands as an end-user friendly complement to using buttons on the mobile phone.

The service is especially convenient, for example, for drivers using their mobile phone. In the near future, voice activated dialling will also be able to handle other advanced services, such as call forwarding. A user might, for example, simply say to the phone, "I am in a meeting until 15.00; forward my calls to my office."

"This is a good opportunity for Ericsson to offer this type of value added services in our wireless network solutions. The human voice is our oldest and most natural way to communicate and we've chosen to cooperate with Brite and Vocalis because of their recognized competence and market position in speech recognition technology," says Per Nordlf, General Manager, Digital Switching Systems and Applications at Ericsson Radio Systems.

"Ericsson is the world's leading supplier of mobile network infrastructure. Their certification of our products is a significant endorsement of Brite's ability to supply innovative services. Together, Brite and Ericsson are ideally positioned to meet the growing demands from network operators to be able to offer new, safer and more easily useable services through speech recognition," says Stuart Hallam, Chief Executive Officer for Brite Voice Systems' Europe, Middle East and Africa unit.

Says Jonathan Hart, Sales Director at Vocalis Group plc., "This agreement means that many more mobile users will be able to use voice activated dialling. Network operators will benefit by being at the forefront of this evolving market. Users will have the ease of a more natural interface than the keypad. With the increasing legislation on the use of car phones, we believe voice activated dialling will become a standard operator service."

Ericsson's 90,000 employees are active in more than 130 countries. Their combined expertise in fixed and mobile networks, mobile phones and infocom systems makes Ericsson a world-leading supplier in telecommunications.