Industry-Leading Multimodal Platform for Wireless Operators and Enterprises Is Carrier Grade, Spans Networks, Devices

ORLANDO, Fla., March 18 - Kirusa, the leading provider of platforms enabling multimodal wireless applications delivery, announces the availability of Version 2.0 of its MultiModal Platform (KMMP). The platform allows users to interact with mobile applications using a combination of voice and visual modes and empowers the delivery of revenue- generating mobile applications and services to help increase customer penetration and retention for mobile operators worldwide.

Version 2.0 of the Kirusa MultiModal Platform represents a multimodal industry milestone. The solution supports all major mobile networks, including CDMA, CDMA 1x/3x, GSM, GPRS, UMTS, iDEN and others, and enables a compelling multimodal end-user application experience on a wide variety of handsets from all major manufacturers -- without any changes to the device. Thus, carriers may monetize multimodal applications immediately leveraging devices already widely deployed in their networks.

The multimodal features leverage Kirusa's advanced technology, which includes several pending patents. Kirusa's multimodal capabilities are supported on a wide variety of mobile devices and operator infrastructures. For example, the user may speak the name of a business, and then get the full directory listing on the screen, including the telephone number and address of the business, with a link to get driving directions. Optionally, the user may also get "electronic coupons,'' or other visual information, displayed on the screen. The platform provides for carrier-grade operations, administration, maintenance and provisioning needs through management consoles and connectivity to mobile operator operations support systems, and is proven scalable and reliable for the very large user populations encountered by mobile operators. Several speech platforms and technology suppliers, including Nuance, SpeechWorks, Telisma, VoiceGenie, and others, are supported, as well as standards such as VoiceXML, XML, WML, and HTML.

"By combining voice and visual interfaces in the same application, multimodality can make a previously unusable, or barely usable, application very attractive to mobile users,'' said Inderpal Singh Mumick, CEO of Kirusa. "The Kirusa Multimodal Platform makes it possible for applications authored in XML based languages to be delivered in a multimodal manner on a wide variety of wireless handheld devices, significantly increasing revenue potential for carriers and application developers. By offering multimodality powered by KMMP, carriers have the ability to seamlessly introduce voice subscribers to data services, increase adoption of 2.5G and 3G data services, increase usage on their networks, reduce churn, and to monetize their 2.5G and 3G investments.

Kirusa's Application Development Program, KADP, which enables the creation and testing of multimodal applications, continues to attract new application and service providers from across the globe. Joining original members Orange Mobile Internet for Business, JSmart, and Telelogue, are new members ASquare Communications (San Jose, CA,) Explore Art Communications (Geneva, Switzerland), Newt Games (Paris, France,) Forschungszentrum Telekommunikation Wien (FTW,) (Vienna, Austria,) TeamOn (Issaquah, WA,) Vialto (Cupertino, CA,) and Wanadoo (Issy les Moulineaux, France.)

"We're very excited about our partnership with Kirusa,'' said Kathy Graves, vice president of alliances for Nuance, Inc., Menlo Park, CA. "The solutions they're developing are sophisticated applications of speech technology, and will provide tremendous value to companies, large or small, looking to implement multi-modal applications.''

About Kirusa
Kirusa, Inc. is a multimodal infrastructure company that has developed industry leading multimodal technology (with several patents pending) for the delivery of data applications using multimodal interfaces. This next generation of wireless technology allows users to customize the presentation of information on wireless devices by either alternating, or simultaneously receiving data through visual and voice interfaces. Kirusa is funded by France Telecom Innovacom, Deutsche Bank, Silicon Alley Seed Investors, and several angel investors. The company is headquartered in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey and was founded by telecom and Internet industry veterans from AT&T, Lucent and Vodafone Airtouch. For more information about Kirusa please call its headquarters at +1 (908) 464-4467 or visit www.kirusa.com.

Contact

Christine Attalla
Christine.Attalla@edelman.com
Tel : (312) 240-2722

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