Aliant casts VoiceNet over Atlantic Canada

Aliant Telecom Mobility announced Oct. 14 it is casting its VoiceNet voice recognition e-mail technology over Atlantic Canada.

The service allows Aliant wireless users to configure an existing POP3 e-mail account to listen to, forward and respond to e-mail messages over a digital cell phone using voice commands.

The service uses a “friendly voice” to read messages and content in English or French via speech recognition and text-to-speech technologies, said Frank Fagan, president of Halifax-based Aliant Telecom Mobility in a prepared statement.

Fagan pointed out that VoiceNet is a hands-free way to use a cell phone while driving.

The user enters the recipient’s name in his or her address book so that later the customer can speak an assigned nickname to send an e-mail, Aliant said. To send a message, the customer’s voice is recorded and an audio file is attached to the e-mail message.

Pricing will be $5 per month plus airtime, Aliant said.

Uptake on voice recognition e-mail technology is sustainable, particularly in the business market, said Jeremy Depow, senior analyst for Kanata, Ont.-based research firm The Yankee Group Canada.

It’s neat technology when it actually works, Depow said.

Niggling issues over the next-gen technology – such as the need for a clear wireless reception and strong speech recognition capabilities – have largely been ironed out, Depow said. He added, other vendors (including companies like Markham, Ont.-based Avaya Canada Corp. and Lucent Technologies Canada) are also providing this functionality to customers.

It’s becoming a ‘nice-to-have,’ Depow said.

A demo of Aliant Telecom’s VoiceNet service can be found at http://www.aliant.voicenet.ca.

Aliant Telecom Mobility in Halifax is at http://www.aliant.ca.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now