Listen to Mail on Tata

Business Times Bureau, Hyderabad: How about engaging in a voice chat with friends from a no-Interenet zone? That's what TATA Cellular's latest value added service to customers is all about.

In a first of its kind service in the country, Tata Cellular (TCL) on Wednesday launched VOICEme allowing all its post-paid customers to recieve voice mails -- sent either by a fellow Tata Cell subscribe or others from anywhere in the world using Internet.

The service also enables conversion of text files into voice messages facilitating subscribers to hear them (through a computer generated voice).

"The service is much more personalised, users-friendly and interactive," said Manzoor ul Ameen, deputy general manager of TCL.

The service is based on interactive voice response (IVR) system which rids the users of button-pressing, as is required in SMS. Users can access their mail service and navigate through varies options merely by responding to voice quires.

"All post paid customers are pre-registered for the service and can activate it by dialling 229898," Ameen said. He said that the service will be free for the first 30 days.

Tata subscribers will be alerted about voice message Via SMS. The other future including sending 2-minute voice messages, roughly 240 words -- longer than SMS and without the trouble of having to keying in the messages.

The Software of VOICEme is developed by Hellonet of Taj Hotels. "We are in talks with other cellular operators and an automobile major to offere our interactive voice response system," said Prateek Pashine said.


Source: Times of India, June 28, 2001 edition