CCXML V1.0 Is a Proposed Recommendation
The Voice Browser Working Group of the World Wide Web Consortium has published a proposed recommendation of Voice Browser Call Control: CCXML Version 1.0.
This document describes CCXML, or the Call Control eXtensible Markup Language. CCXML is an XML-based markup language designed to add call control capabilities to telephony systems in a standard way. It is a powerful language that simplifies the basic telephony functionalities of complex and proprietary IVR systems.
CCXML is designed to provide sophisticated telephony call control support for dialogue systems, such as VoiceXML, and allows the development and control of advanced conferencing services, outbound and inbound callsm and all types of call transfer. CCXML enables complex actions to be easily programmed, such as conditional acceptance of calls, various types of call transfer, advanced multi-party conferencing, and sophisticated multiple-call handling and control, including the management of proactive outbound calls.
"CCXML is the ideal language for creating advanced call and conferencing services. It simplifies telephony service development, making complex actions easier to perform, so meeting the needs of the market," said Paolo Baggia, director of international standards at Loquendo and a member of the Voice Browser Working Group.
While CCXML can be used with any dialogue systems capable of handling media, CCXML has been designed to complement and integrate with a VoiceXML interpreter. Because of this there are many references to VoiceXML's capabilities and limitations.
The recommendation also details how VoiceXML and CCXML can be integrated. However, it should be noted that the two languages are separate and are not required in an implementation of either language. For example, CCXML could be integrated with a more traditional interactive voice response (IVR) system or a 3GPP Media Resource Function (MRF), and VoiceXML or other dialogue systems could be integrated with other call control systems.
Comments are welcome through June 10.