Nuance Speech Software Drives TU-KA Cellular's New Voice Portal

MENLO PARK, CA and TOKYO - Nuance (Nasdaq:NUAN) announced that its speech recognition software is enabling a new voice portal service from TU-KA Group, a division of KDDI Corporation, Japan's second largest telecommunications carrier. Called Koe-Navi (Voice Navigation), this portal allows mobile phone users to access a range of audio content such as news, horoscopes, movie and restaurant guides, and music information. Developed for TU-KA Group by Nuance partners, Trans Cosmos Inc. and ITmanage Inc., the Koe-Navi system applies the Nuance 8.0 speech recognition engine to drive the voice portal service. TU-KA customers dial into the portal via a special access number, STAR (*) 300, and use simple voice commands to navigate the system and listen to information. Masao Tankai, Manager of Contents Planning Group, TU-KA Cellular Tokyo Inc. said they chose the Nuance solution for its high recognition accuracy and proven reliability in the Japanese market. "We are seeing increased demand for innovative new mobile services in Japan, but many users find the small size of their mobile phone handset makes it difficult to use the keys to navigate these services. Through our application of the Nuance speech technology, we can offer these customers a simple interface that is koe (voice)," said Tankai. President and Representative Director of Nuance Communications K.K., Hideki Wachi, said the TU-KA portal project reaffirmed Nuance's position as the leading supplier of speech recognition technology in Japan."We're pleased to add TU-KA to our roster of more than 60 satisfied customers in Japan. This implementation represents an excellent opportunity for us to showcase the advanced capabilities of our new speech recognition software and we hope that it will encourage greater adoption of speech in the market," continued Wachi.