VoiceXML Forum Announces Support for W3C's Multimodal Interaction Activity

W3C's newly-formed group illustrates importance of multimodal standards

Piscataway, NJ - February 25, 2002 -- The VoiceXML Forum today announced support for the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Multimodal Activity (http://www.w3.org/2002/mmi/) - a newly-formed working group which will look into standards and software to access web applications and services by voice, keyboard, key pad, mobile phones and devices. Members of the VoiceXML Forum, including AT&T, IBM, Lucent, Motorola, Nuance, and VoiceGenie will participate in W3C's efforts.

Multimodal applications are set to grow in importance in the coming years, bringing benefits to businesses, developers and end-users. Today, web applications cannot be accessed by more than one channel at a time - e.g., using both voice and keypad on a wireless handheld device at the same time. With upcoming technology, devices from the desktop computer to the handheld PDA, from the automobile to the cellular phone, will be able to support multiple modes of access and communication, allowing them true anyplace, anywhere, anytime access.

With that, developers will need an open, standards-based way to write applications that allow for multiple types of input and output simultaneously, as well as enable devices of various platforms to operate with one another. For instance, a business traveller will be able to call an automated call center to ask for flight information using speech, and have that information appear as text on his handheld device.

"Multimodal applications are the next step in the growth of voice technology. A key component in making anyplace, anywhere access more convenient and real, it allows end-users to use the most suitable form of input and output no matter what situation they're in," said Bill Dykas Chairman of the VoiceXML Forum, "Standards that use existing languages that developers are already familiar with are key to this."

This also means that companies will not have to hire several groups of developers with different skill sets, saving companies resource, time and money. These new applications will also work with other multimodal applications, and be easily extended from existing web or voice applications, as a large number of those already use XHTML or VoiceXML.

Examples of multimodal applications:

• Mobile stock trading: using voice to request stock quotes with a hand-held device, having the quote appear as a chart, and submitting a trade by voice.
• Web-based auctions: using a hand-held to view item and then bidding via voice commands
• Navigational systems in cars: voice-enabled navigational devices
• Web browsers in automobile: in a moving vehicle, the device automatically shuts off the graphical browser and switches to voice to ensure that the driver is not distracted.

The VoiceXML Forum through its 600 plus members are developing products and deploying applications built on the VoiceXML standard, now in Version 2.0 review. The natural extension of the VoiceXML standard to support Multimodal applications will speed the expansion of combined voice and data applications. VoiceXML Forum member and Supporters of VoiceXML will contribute to the W3C's efforts to develop multimodal standards. The Forum believes extending VoiceXML is the logical path for multimodal development.

Contacts:

Peter Lefkin
Executive Director, VoiceXML Forum
Plefkin@voicexml.org
+1 732-465-6464

More information on the VoiceXML Forum can be found at:

Additional Quotes

IBM

"Voice technology is quickly becoming a competitive advantage for businesses and multimodal applications will allow the industry to go even further in making technology transparent. Standards are key to the growth of the voice market. By building on existing, open standards, such as VoiceXML, developers will be able to leverage existing knowledge and applications and bring new services to the market quickly and efficiently."
William S "Ozzie" Osborne, VP, Segment Management, IBM Pervasive Computing
Division

Lucent Technologies

"A growing number of customers have asked for the ability to add multimodal capabilities to their VoiceXML applications. Creation of this working group will provide a forum for development of an open multimodal standard."
David Thomson, Lucent Speech Solutions CTO

Motorola, Inc.

"Motorola is committed to open standards and is fully supportive of VoiceXML as an open standard. We are are confident in the W3C's ability to augment existing standards to facilitate the new and exciting world of Multimodal. Motorola believes that VoiceXML is the best approach using voice to enable existing and future wireless applications."
Chris White, Director Multimodal and Speech Product, Motorola Internet Content & Software Group

Nuance

"Nuance is committed to driving the delivery of standards for multi-modal applications, which is a natural progression of speech technology, and believes in the ability of the W3C to deliver open industry standards that provide long-term benefit to customers," said Ron Croen, president and CEO of Nuance. "Nuance is strongly behind the W3C's efforts to deliver the open standards necessary for the market to realize its potential."

VoiceGenie Technologies Inc.

"VoiceXML is THE open standard for deploying carrier grade telephony services and is revolutionizing the voice industry. Its success is based on its heritage: VoiceXML was developed by companies with a deep understanding of the needs in delivering reliable voice services. Extending VoiceXML into the multi-model arena is the logical next step."
Eric Jackson, VP Corporate Strategy and Business Development.

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