To: Ibexx who wrote (114463 ) 2/26/2002 8:29:06 AM From: Ibexx Respond to of 152472 Conversay Deploys World's First Distributed Speech Recognition System for Korea Telecom Freetel -- KTF ---Solution provides voice-user interface for value added services over CDMA broadband wireless networks BUSINESS WIRE, 2/26/2002 7:02:00 AM REDMOND, Wash., Feb 26, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Conversay, a global leader in speech technology solutions for both mobile and traditional Internet access devices, announced it has signed an agreement to jointly develop the world's first commercially available distributed speech recognition (DSR) system to be deployed by Korea Telecom Freetel (KTF), the number one PCS service provider in Korea, by mid-year 2002. Conversay's DSR is a technology that applies nascent distributed computing principals to speech recognition and text-to-speech. This includes the ability to divide speech recognition processing tasks between mobile devices such as cell phones and PDAs and network servers. This approach provides state of the art speech recognition and text-to-speech features for mobile devices while minimizing the processor/memory requirements normally associated with speaker independent, unlimited vocabulary, continuous speech recognition systems. Conversay's DSR system is also designed to be multi-modal, with both graphical user interface (GUI) and voice user interface (VUI) functions in an interoperable environment. This is made possible through Conversay's partnerships with QUALCOMM and a major CDMA handset manufacturer. QUALCOMM's BREW(TM) (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless) operating system will be deployed on cell phones that are connected to KTF's DSR network. KTF will deploy a trial system mid-year 2002 followed by a commercial rollout based upon the success of that trial. "KTF is a leader in technology innovation and we're extremely pleased to be working with them to help define the next generation of wireless services," said Steve Rondel, CEO and Founder of Conversay. "Distributed speech recognition is a great example of the types of enriched services carriers will be providing with newer and faster wireless networks over the next several years. Speech technology is particularly beneficial because it allows hands-free access to Internet and business information over a mobile device," he adds. About Korea Telecom Freetel Korea Telecom Freetel (KTF), the number one PCS service provider in Korea, was established in Dec. 1996 and began nationwide commercial service in Oct. 1997. The number of KTF subscribers exceeded one million by April 1998 and 5 million by May 2000, creating a record of having the largest number of subscribers in the shortest period in the world. About Conversay Founded in 1994, Conversay provides solutions that enable voice interaction with network information, including the Internet, when other interfaces are difficult or impossible. Built on an innovative speech engine, Conversay(TM) technology is speaker-independent, modular, scalable and accommodates unlimited vocabulary, making it ideally suited for embedded applications. Conversay headquarters are in Redmond, Wash., and is located on the web at www.conversay.com. Conversay is a trademark of Conversational Computing Corporation (d.b.a. "Conversay"). All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. CONTACT: Conversay, Redmond Heidi Swanson-Fellows, 425/636-1857 hswanson@conversay.com Ibexx