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Preferred Voice Launches New Peripheral for the Telco Market
Technology Enables Carriers to Generate Additional Revenue from Speech Driven
Services
DALLAS, TX - (June 3, 2002) - Preferred Voice announced
today the completion of SAM (service access module), a proprietary,
patent-pending remote intelligent peripheral that allows the creation of
speech-driven subscriber services using legacy, switch-based feature sets.
The SAM allows ISUP T1 connections from the Telco switch and is the
first "Speech Empowered Intelligence Peripheral" for the Telco's AIN (advanced
intelligent network) switch feature sets, developed to Telcordia Standards
GR-1129, GR-1298 and GR-1299. As well as furnishing the RLT (release link
technology) and caller ID for all speech service sets. The SAM RLT feature is
not switch dependent and can provide this feature set for any switch in the
North American Dialing Plan. The SAM also provides the on-site intelligence
required for network delivery of Preferred Voice's current menu of speech driven
services.
The SAM communicates with Preferred Voice's VIP (voice
integrated platform) through the company's nationwide VoIP (voice over internet
protocol) and SS7 Network. The SAM can also provide PSTN (public switching
telephone network) access. The real time switching, RLT functionality, network
access, call management and call control resides within the SAM with upper level
intelligence and application control being provided by the remote located VIP.
The addition of the SAM to the Preferred Voice's Telco Revenue Sharing
Program not only reduces the company's Telco premise hardware cost, but also
lowers the monthly recurring cost by providing PSTN alternatives. The SAM
eliminates the Telco cost and time to install the RLT function, which can be as
high as $50,000 per switch and can take up to six months for installation. In
addition, the SAM can enable any switch with RLT even if the switch is not wired
for the feature set. This includes the Nortel DMS-10,DMS 100, Lucent, Ericsson,
EWSD and Motorola legacy switches.
One of the SAM's functions is to
incorporate the speech recognition requirements for subscriber services
associated with the switch software sets and to act as an intelligent peripheral
to speech enhance the service sets available in the Telco AIN software. In the
past, speech services such as voice dialing required no interaction with the
Telco switch features. The SAM changes the development of speech-enhanced
services by operating as an intelligent peripheral. By communicating with the
Telco's software, speech can enhance a wide range of Telco subscriber Call
Management services, such as:
Announced Call Screening
Time of Day Call blocking
Specific Number Blocking
Specific Priority Number Pass through
Speech Enhanced Call Redirection
100% Speech Enhanced Voice Mail with speech out-call capabilities
The SAM also allows the management of call start and call completion for
AMA (automatic message accounting) for call records for "On Demand" billed by
the call services, such as:
Information Content
Speech Enhanced E-Mail
Remind Me
Pre-Paid Calling Cards
Pre-Paid Cellular
Furthermore, the SAM software provides the call
management for speech enhanced 411 services such as speech Enhanced
411-Directory Assistance, Call Completion for Directory Assistance Toll Calls
and Call Completion for Directory Assistance Long Distance Calls.
The
SAM will now offer the ILEC's captive Yellow Page Group the ability to offer a
new service to its customer base called "Business Connect" a 100% speech driven
listing of all Yellow Page businesses. This revolutionary new speech driven
concept is offered to the ILEC customers as a "free-to-the-caller" service with
the business paying a nominal monthly fee for their listing. The business can
also add "Special Announcements Prompts" prior to the call being connected.
"This is a major new source of revenue for the ILEC Yellow Pages that can add as
much as $60 a year for each business listed," said Jack Johnson, vice president
of sales.
"One of the more important SAM functions is to solve the ILEC
Telco problem of providing CID (Called Identification) for calls that are placed
when the subscriber uses VAD (voice assisted dialing). This has been a
troublesome issue for the ILEC companies and their subscribers," said G. Ray
Miller, CEO of Preferred Voice. "This issue has faced every company that intends
to offer voice assisted dialing in the ILEC Telco market, and we are very
pleased to announce that we have solved this important issue."
Preferred
Voice will produce the initial phase of SAM units, and is conducting preliminary
negotiations with several potential manufactures for SAM production. The initial
production of the SAM will be slated for installations to upgrade the company's
existing wireless and wire line customers.
"The potential for a new
collection of revenue producing services without adding any additional overhead
is exciting," said Miller.
About Preferred Voice
Based in
Dallas, TX, Preferred Voice, Inc. is a leading voice recognition technology
company. Through its Carrier Services Group, Preferred Voice markets its
products and services to wireless, ILEC and CLEC companies across the United
States. These enhanced voice services include Safety Talk voice activated
dialing, voicemail navigation, VAC voice accessed content, voice calling cards,
BusinessConnect voice directory assistance and EmmaPR voice telephone
receptionist. Preferred Voice's Network Services Group provides carrier
connectivity, call management, provisioning and service delivery solutions for
carriers, voice portal providers, wireless application providers and other
enhanced features providers. Preferred Voice has signed agreements with 45
telecom carriers. For more information please visit www.preferredvoice.com.
SOURCE: Preferred Voice, Inc.
This press release contains
forward-looking statements. Since all statements about Preferred Voice's plans,
estimates and expectations are based on current projections that involve risks
and uncertainties, and are subject to change at any time, the company's actual
results may differ materially from expected results. Readers should consider
these risks and uncertainties, which are discussed in documents filed by
Preferred Voice, Inc., with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These
documents identify important factors that could cause the actual results to
differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
Preferred Voice, Inc. expressly disclaims any obligation to update any
forward-looking statements.
Contact:
Joelle Mertzel, (310)
586-7161
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