While most conversations about the wireless Internet have focused on transmitting data, a few companies are looking at creating a voice-based Internet-browsing model aimed specifically at mobile phone users.
Nuance Telecommunications Inc., a company based in Menlo Park, Calif., took the latest step in this effort with the unveiling of its Voice Web Portal program, a strategic initiative aimed at driving the voice-portal marketplace and establishing an interconnected set of voice-based Web services.
Nuance’s motivation behind the effort is to drive acceptance of its flagship Voyager voice-interface product, which combines speech recognition and voice authentication software to communicate with the Internet by voice.
Similar to the World Wide Web Internet application, the Voice Web is a separate collection of Internet sites and applications written specifically for voice interaction. Voyager will not allow users to interact with any existing Internet site by voice. Internet developers must create a special site optimized for voice access, perhaps by using Motorola Inc.’s VoxML programming language.
Voyager offers voice-based hyperlinks, much like those used by the WWW, and standard Web features like bookmarks, user profiles and other personalized setup abilities-done through voice.
Also, SpeechObjects technology recognizes natural speech as it relates to specific data. If a user says the words “next Thursday,” SpeechObjects recognizes exactly what date to which that corresponds.
Charter program members of the Voice Web Portal program include Authentix/Parigon, BeVocal, GoSolo, NetByTel, Star*Free, U-Access, Ucallnet, VocalPoint, Xtime and Curious Networks.
Kathy Frostad, director of telecommunications product marketing for Nuance, expects this list to grow in the upcoming weeks.
“What’s driving this is the growth of the Internet first,” Frostad said. “Second, there’s a growing consumer demand for content … Third is just the availability and affordability of mobile phone service. And fourth, speech recognition is a way to offer content that is safe, simple and intuitive.”
She said the Voice Web Portal program was created to offer application developers new to the space a step-by-step process to bring their idea to successful commercial availability in a speedy fashion.
Through the program, Nuance said it initially will provide consulting services, helping companies create relevant solutions targeted to specific end users. The program then provides assistance with developing prototype applications and coaching in how to demonstrate services to venture capitalists and the press.
Development support includes technical support and free access to Nuance resources. Then Nuance offers co-marketing support, allowing service providers to display its VoiceWeb logo, followed by after-market analysis, fine-tuning and expansion services.
According to Frostad, Voice Web services have the potential to offer considerable value to wireless carriers looking to complement their Wireless Application Protocol services.
First, she said, carriers with voice portals will see minutes of use increase.
“These portals are offering access to many applications through one call. The call lengths are an average of 2.5 to 3 minutes. And this doesn’t cannibalize existing voice minutes,” she said.
In particular, e-commerce services are expected to play a major role in driving Voice Web services.
“Commerce is the hot area to watch,” Frostad said. “People are comfortable with buying things over the phone … (But) this is not just about making the same Internet transactions available. The target segment is mobile phones. That mobility is a factor.”
Voice portal U-Access, for instance, essentially acts as a storefront on the Voice Web for several retailers. Users can browse U-Access’ site by voice and listen to profiles of retailers that advertise there. U-Access can then connect the user to the retailer of his or her choice, and then that user can make a transaction. The next step is for U-Access to actually conduct the transaction for the retailer, which just pays a fee for the services.
Adding location technology with voice will allow for a whole new type of e-commerce application carriers can benefit from, both in terms of minutes of use and a cut of transactions carried out over their networks, she said.
Phone.com Inc. recently acquired @Mobile, a Nuance customer, specifically to gain access to its voice-portal technology, which it said would be added to the MyPhone portal service available to wireless carriers, as well as integrated into its UP.Link Server Suite technology.
MapQuest, which operates a WAP site, is expected to announce a voice-portal extension soon, as well, Frostad said.
