VoiceXML Forum
Releases Preliminary Specification,
More Than Triples Membership
IBM Joins AT&T,
Lucent, Motorola as Key Member and Contributes
Its Speech Markup Language
The Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VoiceXML)
Forum has released its preliminary specification
for VoiceXML, the new markup language that is
expected to expand the reach of the Internet through
voice access to Web content and services. Since
its launch in March 1999 as the VXML Forum, the
group has more than tripled in size by adding
44 leading technology industry players to its
membership roster.
The VoiceXML specification introduces a markup
language for voice applications based on eXtensible
Markup Language (XML), an emerging technology
that is expected to revolutionize the Internet
industry. The VoiceXML Forum aims to drive the
market for voice-enabled Internet services through
the creation of a common specification based on
existing Internet standards.
The VoiceXML specification is expected to simplify
creation and delivery of Web-based, personalized
interactive voice-response services and enable
phone and voice access to integrated call center
databases, information on Web sites, and company
intranets. The VoiceXML specification also will
help enable new voice-capable devices and appliances.
Joining the 17 original Forum supporters endorsing
the standardization effort are 44 companies including:
@Motion, Inc., 1 to 1 Communications, 4th
Peripheral Technologies, Applied Speech Technologies,
Arabesque Communications, Inc., Array Systems
Computing, Berst-Tech, Conversa, Cycad (Singapore)
PTE, Ltd., DonnyWorld, Inc., Elan Informatique,
EncoTone Ltd., Entropic Incorporated, Ericsson,
Fletcher’s Communications PL,
France Telecom, Interprise Ventures, ITX Networks,
Inc., KRON Networks, Living Systems AG, Locus
Dialogue, MCS Corporation, Mediagate, Inc., Metro
Link Incorporated, Mitel, Net By Phone, Novell,
Parlant, PassCall Advanced Technologies Ltd.,
Qualcomm Incorporated, ReadyCom, Inc., Sage Health
Management Solutions, Samsung Electronics Co.
Ltd., Scotty’s Home Market, Siemens, SpeakLink.com,
Speech Recognition Consultant, Speech Solutions,
Sprint PCS, Sun Microsystems, TouchNet Information
Systems, Inc., Vox2, Inc., Voxware, Inc., and
Wildfire Communications, Inc.
Also, IBM joins AT&T, Lucent Technologies
and Motorola as a promoter of the Forum and is
contributing its Speech
Markup Language technology.
Forum supporters were recently provided with
the initial specification, which is now available
to the public on the Forum’s Web site. After incorporating
comments and contributions, the VoiceXML Forum
plans to release version 1.0 of its specification
to an appropriate standards body for consideration
later this year. Meanwhile, the Forum is inviting
participation by other companies that wish to
support the Forum’s objective of expanding Web
access through telephones and other devices using
both speech and ordinary touchtone-type user interfaces.
AT&T, Lucent and Motorola have contributed
their respective phone and voice markup languages
to help the Forum create an open specification
leveraging the best of these technologies. IBM’s
Speech Markup Language technology gives the Forum
and its specification additional technical strength
and the benefit of IBM’s experience in this area.
The Forum changed its name to better emphasize
its goal of bringing voice access to the Web. More information about
the VoiceXML Forum is available on its Web site:
or by email at info@voicexml.org.
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