Speech-Enabled Unified Communications: Overcoming the Multilingual Challenges of the European Market

Abstract

There is a growing need for innovative, multimodal interfaces that can exploit the power of new devices and address the needs of an increasingly mobile world. This chapter describes creative and utilitarian solutions for both consumers and industry that are provided by speech-enabled, unified communication. There are, however, challenging real-world obstacles to implementation. A closer look at Europe, an important potential market for these kinds of solutions, highlights the challenges of overcoming multilingualism and market practices, such as high roaming fees and how such barriers are being addressed.