Examples of existing applications.

Previously the emphasis has been on the manufacturing sector, but in the last years the markets in telecommunications have shown exponential growth in sales figures, e.g. see [Rabiner, 1994]. Telecommunications applications, as the following examples, usually reduce costs by replacing human attendants or provide new services previously impossible to implement.

1.

Automation of operator assisted calls which need only to distinguish between the charging options

2.

Automation of directory assistance based on spelled or spoken names

3.

Voice dialing services either by name or number

4.

Voice prompter to replace the touch tone

5.

Information access services like sports scores, weather reports, and ticket booking