Fixed Mobile Convergence

A new reverse-charge SMS text service, 0800TXTMUM, will be launched into the New Zealand market soon. This service helps children to contact their parents by phone even when the battery fails or there is no signal.

Poata Pohutuhutu, managing director of eSend Pty Ltd, the company behind 0800TXTMUM, said, "The mobile phone has become an essential tool for children to keep in touch with their parents. But the majority of phones that kids use are pay-as-you-go and, as a parent, you fear that just at the moment your kids really need to get hold of you - even if it's just a change of plan, never mind an emergency - that will be the moment they suddenly run out of credit, lose battery power or even can't get a signal. If this happens, 0800TXT MUM will ensure that the critical message will always get through so you know they are safe or can take action."

Leveraging SpinVox’s (News - Alert) API (application programming interface), the 0800TXTMUM service works from mobile phones, payphones and landlines and allows children to get in touch with their parents by automatically converting voice messages left by kids into text messages that are sent to their parents as SMS messages.

The API is based on SpinVox’ Voice Message Conversion System (VMCS), which is a commercial speech platform and a Cloud speech service. The VMCS works by combining advanced speech technologies with a live-learning language process.

SpinVox co-founder and CEO, Christina Domecq (News - Alert) said, "It's seven times quicker to speak a message than to input it by keyboard and seven time faster to read a message than to dial into voicemail.”

Initially, the 0800TXTMUM service will be launched in New Zealand with later roll outs in Australia, the U.K., Canada,  the U.S., France, Germany and Spain.