natural-sounding synthetic speech in a variety of voices from computer-readable printed text.
• Creating How May I Help You?SM (HMIHY), the most robust, flexible, and conversational natural language speech understanding system in the world. HMIHY has completed a successful field trial and is now widely deployed to handle the majority of AT&T Consumer Services customer-care traffic through its 0300 access number.
• Playing a key role in planning the deployment of the Nationwide Intelligent Optical Network. AT&T is moving to a new, all-optical network by doubling the amount of information that can be sent over optical fiber each year. The new network restores service faster in the event of a failure or disaster and can dramatically shorten provisioning time for new high-speed circuits for business customers who have direct access to the network, among other advanced capabilities.
• Deploying IP-enabled frame relay capabilities, giving customers the advantages of IP connectivity with the reliability of the frame relay system.
• Developing data mining solutions that have helped AT&T reduce fraud and save customers money. New solutions based on enhanced fraud management tools allow customers to access call detail securely for any phone number through a Web-based interface.
• Launching AT&T's Global Enterprise Management System (GEMS), a comprehensive network, systems, and applications management platform. GEMS allows for end-to-end network viewing, failure prediction, and diagnostics on a global scale. It provides a significant competitive edge for AT&T and its customers.
• Evolving AT&T's e-commerce site to help consumers and business customers purchase calling plans online while reducing customer care costs.
• Developing AT&T Visualization of Massive Data Sets, a network visualization tool that uses powerful computer graphics and data mining to integrate and explore network information and efficiently put this knowledge to work in the AT&T Network.
AT&T Labs will apply these innovations to improve the customer experience, evolve AT&T's IP communications network and services, automate corporate systems and operations, and advance the company's intelligent networking efforts.