Nuance and Huawei Join Forces to Deliver Voice Portal

MENLO PARK, CA & HONG KONG - Nuance (Nasdaq:NUAN) announced that the company's speech recognition software has been selected for China Netcom's Voice Portal. Developed in partnership with Huawei Technologies, a global provider of telecom equipment and network solutions, the China Netcom Voice Portal deployment extends Nuance's position in the Asia Pacific region. "To date, the majority of enterprises and telecommunications carriers seeking to deliver voice-powered services in the Asia Pacific region work with Nuance," said Rod Hamlin, senior vice president, Global Sales, Nuance. "Our proven expertise in delivering speech solutions that help companies cut costs, improve customer satisfaction, and develop innovative new revenue-generating services is what has motivated partners and customers such as Huawei and China Netcom to select Nuance." Nuance's list of Asian customers and partners includes businesses and organizations as diverse as Guangzhou Harris Telecommunications Co. Ltd, HeyAnita Korea, Japan Telecom, KT Freetel, LG Card, LG Investment & Securities, Military Manpower Administration, Nomura Securities, Singapore's Ministry of Defense, Sony, Tsubasa Securities, Yonsei Severance Hospital. Among the 27 languages and dialects currently offered by Nuance are Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Singapore English. "Asia is one of the fastest-growing regions in terms of phones in use/wireless phone adoption, and this growth is really driving the market for speech-enabled applications and solutions," noted Rachel L. MacAulay, senior analyst, Voice & Wireless Commerce, The Kelsey Group. "Our research shows that Nuance is currently the leader in carrier wins for the Asia Pacific region, and this partnership helps further that position."