Loquendo, the global speech technology company, and Siemens Business Services (SBS), the global full-service provider of information and communication technology solutions and services, today announced that they have signed a strategic partnership establishing Siemens Business Services as a worldwide Value Added Reseller of Loquendo Voice Technologies.

Loquendo’s technologies will integrate with SBS’s advanced voice applications platform enabling enterprises to provide reliable and cost-effective voice solutions. Thus customers will benefit from both Loquendo’s high-end TTS and ASR capabilities and SBS’s expertise in voice solutions and enterprise architecture integration.

Loquendo offers a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art speech engines for the development of the most efficient self-service applications that cut costs while optimizing customer relations. Loquendo TTS text-to-speech software and Loquendo ASR automatic speech recognition software are currently available in 16 languages, including U.S. and U.K. English, Castilian, Catalan, Mexican, Chilean and Argentinean Spanish, Italian, German, French, Dutch, Greek, Mandarin Chinese, Brazilian, Portuguese and Swedish in both male and female voices.

About Siemens Business Services (SBS)
Siemens Business Services is an internationally leading IT service provider. This Siemens Group offers services all along the IT service chain from a single source - from consulting to systems integration, right through to the management of IT infrastructures. Thanks to comprehensive know-how and sector-specific expertise, the company provides measurable added value for its customers. With regard to outsourcing and IT maintenance, Siemens Business Services is among the top ten providers worldwide. Sales in fiscal year 2004 (ending 30 September 2004) came to around EUR 4.7 billion, 76 percent of which was achieved outside the Siemens organization.

For more information, visit www.siemens.com/sbs.

About Loquendo - Vocal Technology and Services
With over 30 years of R&D expertise, Loquendo is at the forefront of the global speech technologies market. Its high-quality, high-performance technologies (Loquendo TTS - text to speech, Loquendo ASR - automatic speech recognition, Loquendo Speech Server, Loquendo Speaker Verification) and platforms guarantee systems integrators the best solutions in 16 languages and 38 voices - with more coming soon.
From its headquarters in Turin, Italy, Loquendo deploys technologies that power millions of calls every day in the telecommunications and enterprise markets throughout the world.

For more information, visit www.loquendo.com.