The
Demonstration service
in the UK has South African information in English and Zulu.
It can be reached on telephone number +44 (0)1372 - 809 444.
Use the telephone keys to navigate the menu.
Our Approach
Why telephones
"Telephones are most suitable to give people
real access to information." They are increasingly
accessible and affordable to large numbers of people,
including those in rural areas developing countries.
Telephones provide on-demand access to information,
as opposed to radio broadcasts which are fixed.
Caller anonymity provided by a telephone strongly improves
access for women and youth, who traditionally have
even less access to information than men, thus genuinely
empowering women and youth.
The technology
WorldTalk has developed its own system using proven voice portal technologies,
with a unique development application in mind. Our system makes use
of existing telephone networks be they fixed, mobile, or satellite.
It can serve the widest proportion of a population with no pre-training
or literacy required. It is easily scalable, so the service can simply
be expanded to serve 10,000 as well as 1,000,000 users. The technology
platform can be replicated in a number of countries all using the same
core technology but delivering local information.
How does it work
Callers dial the local WorldTalk number and get connected to the
WorldTalk server, which is connected to the internet.
Using the telephone keys callers select what they want to listen to
from a cascading menu structure.
The voice server links the caller to the right content and plays
it to them in their local language.
Content is stored as pre-recorded audio. Dynamic elements such as
daily changing market prices are read of a web-based database, generated
via text-to-speech in the most appropriate language available. They
can also be sent by SMS message if a mobile phone is used.
The content is tagged in VoiceXML web pages stored or updated anywhere
on the internet.
Callers can be connected to other phone services or help lines, or
external call centers.
Callers can also deposit information (for example if they are searching
for -or offering- a job) by following the voice prompts.
The sustainability model
We are convinced that the most sustainable way to bring WorldTalk's
services to as many people that need them is by setting up self-sustainable
enterprises in developing countries. Each enterprise will be funded
by a combination of hosting fees, end-user fees where appropriate
and advertising / sponsorship. Sustainability can only be achieved
on the longer term, which is why we need financial and in-kind support
in the start-up phase in each country.
We aim to replicate the technology platform in many different countries.
Applications will be developed by local teams in these countries to
create new services that meet local demands. These new developments
will be shared across all WorldTalk enterprises.
Benefits
Living standards will improve through health, education and legal
services provided over telephone. Educational services will be managed
through voice knowledge centres. Government services like water, electricity,
sanitation, emigration and housing can be administered with interactive
phone conversations through the portal, providing a high quality service
at low running cost for a large number of people.
Communication will improve. Each person will be able to have their
own telephone number on shared telephones.
Private sector investment will grow as businesses recognise the opportunities
to capture the attention of millions of consumers through this channel.
Entrepreneurial activity will be supported through services that help
micro-enterprises with information and advice on running businesses
and obtaining finances. The accessible market for a small business will
expand by bringing opportunities in neighbouring areas and providing
access to suppliers of goods at competitive prices.
New technology businesses will be spurred by the development of technology
hosting centres that house the technology platforms to run the voice
portals. The infrastructure can be used to provide better quality dial-up
connections and support a host of internet applications, providing opportunities
for local skills development.
