BLUE BELL, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 8, 1999--
Integration of Tools from Speech Technology Leaders Ease and
Accelerate Development of Mass-Market Speech Applications
Unisys Corporation and Lucent Technologies, Inc. today announced an agreement allowing Lucent to license Unisys award-winning
Natural Language Speech Assistant (NLSA) tool suite.
Under terms of the agreement, Lucent will integrate NLSA with its CentreVu Response Solutions, a suite of offerings that provides
customer care applications based on Integrated Voice Response (IVR) technology. CentreVu Response Solutions is based on
Lucent's INTUITY CONVERSANT platform.
The integration of the two companies' technologies dramatically simplifies the development of natural language understanding speech
telephony applications, making speech systems accessible to a broader market. As a result of the agreement, Unisys pioneering NLSA
technology now will be available to Lucent IVR developers worldwide, enabling them to build complex speech-based applications for
CentreVu Response Solutions more quickly and easily.
Natural language speech systems often replace touch-tone menu systems for applications such as phone banking. The systems
select key words and phrases that callers speak in a natural voice, such as "I want to open a new account." This capability simplifies
the caller's experience and dramatically expands the potential for new types of self-service applications, providing businesses with
substantial cost savings and opportunities for new revenue.
Unisys NLSA simplifies the development and deployment of natural language applications with easy-to-use tools that streamline
voice-user interface design, testing, grammar creation and word meaning analysis. Average development and testing time is reduced
from months to days.
Unisys NLSA is also the only natural language technology that is speech-recognizer independent, offering Lucent developers a
common interface for developing spoken language applications without being tied to the speech recognition engine deployed. This
allows developers to "snap" speech recognition engines in and out of their programs based on business requirements or technology
improvements.
"We want speech application development to be as easy and open as possible," said Denis Aull, director of Response Offers,
Lucent Technologies. "Integrating the Unisys NLSA and INTUITY CONVERSANT technology delivers the strongest, yet simplest,
solution we've seen for developing and deploying speech-based applications. It opens our platform to many speech recognition
engines."
Unisys and Lucent: Joining to Simplify Speech Application Development
The agreement marks the second integrated offering under an alliance formed by the two companies in November, 1998, when
Unisys and Lucent Speech Solutions agreed to integrate NLSA with Lucent's state-of-the-art text-to-speech and automatic speech
recognizer engines.
This integrated software package, which will be available in the second quarter of 1999, provides a seamless connection between
the speech recognition tools and engines, allowing developers to dramatically reduce development time and enable faster deployment
of speech-based applications.
"Tools like NLSA that make it faster and easier to develop and deliver speech applications without requiring complex programming
skills help bring more natural speech applications to the market," said Joe Yaworski, vice president and general manager, Unisys
Natural Language Understanding business initiative. "By working with Lucent, we are giving developers around the world who are
familiar with the Lucent CONVERSANT environment access to these benefits."
As part of the new agreement, NLSA also will be integrated with Lucent's Voice@Work, which enables developers to create
custom applications for the INTUITY CONVERSANT platform. Because the Unisys Natural Language Speech Interpreter will be
incorporated into CentreVu
Response Solutions, developers can dramatically cut the time to deploy speech applications. The environment will include support
for multiple languages, formats for speaking dates, numbers and currencies in any language supported by the speech recognizer engine.
A true innovation for developers, the combination of Voice@Work with NLSA opens the platform to a wide range of speech engines
in a single development environment.
Unisys NLSA will be available as part of Lucent's CentreVu Response Solutions in May, 1999.
About Lucent's CentreVu Response Solutions
Lucent's CentreVu Response Solutions, based on the INTUITY CONVERSANT platform, uses advanced voice response
technology to collect and provide a wide array of information to callers through voice and fax.
CentreVu Response Solutions can respond to inquiries and handle entire transactions 24 hours a day. With advanced software,
INTUITY CONVERSANT can transfer callers to the correct line after callers speak the desired name, and can support natural
language speech recognition.
About the NL Speech Assistant
The Natural Language Speech Assistant is an advanced speech application development tool set. Unisys NLSA provides
application developers not only with the tools for designing and creating speech applications, but also provides for application project
management, development methodology and testing.
Unlike all other natural language technology, Unisys NLSA keeps developers' applications from becoming obsolete by providing
open tools to design and develop across multiple platforms and speech recognizers. Unisys has a complete reseller program for
NLSA, including platform integration, marketing and sales support, technical support and training. Visit
marketplace.unisys.com for more information.
About the Companies
Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, New Jersey, designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private
networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronic
components. Bell Labs is the research and development arm for the company. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit our
Web site at www.lucent.com.
Unisys (NYSE:UIS) is more than 33,000 employees helping customers in 100 countries apply information technology to solve their
business problems. Unisys solutions are based on a broad portfolio of global information services including systems integration,
outsourcing, "repeatable" application solutions, consulting, network integration, remote network management, and multivendor
maintenance and support, coupled with enterprise-class servers and associated middleware, software and storage.
Repeatable solutions are focused on key vertical markets including financial services, transportation, telecommunications,
government, publishing and other commercial markets. Headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, in the Greater Philadelphia area,
Unisys had 1998 annual revenue of $7.2 billion. Access the Unisys home page on the World Wide Web -- unisys.com --
for further information.
Unisys is a registered trademark and NL Speech Assistant and NL Enabled are trademarks of Unisys Corporation. CentreVu and
CONVERSANT are registered trademarks and INTUITY is a trademark of Lucent Technologies. All other brands and products
referenced herein are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
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CONTACT: Unisys
Oliver L. Picher, 215/986-5367
Internet: oliver.picher@unisys.com
or
BSMG Worldwide
Charlotte Harrington, 212/445-8147
Internet: charring@bsmg.com
or
Lucent Technologies
Mitch Montagna, 908/953-5707
Internet: mmontagna@lucent.com
KEYWORD: PENNSYLVANIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED TELECOMMUNICATIONS |
