Nuance Joins Global NG Connect Program to Advance Connected Car Voice Technology

New solution concept collaboration to initially focus development on voice command and control technology for in-vehicle mobile communications and service management.

Telematics Detroit – DETROIT, June 8, 2010– Nuance Communications, Inc.(Nasdaq: NUAN) today announced it has joined the ng Connect Program, a multi-industry initiative driving the development of next-generation broadband services based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) and other high bandwidth technologies. As a program member, the company will initially focus its collaboration efforts on next-generation automotive services with plans to extend its focus to solution concepts for the broad range of vertical industries the company serves including healthcare, financial, government and education, to name a few.

The leading global supplier of speech technology to automotive manufacturers and third-party platforms, Nuance’s integrated suite of technologies and services include voice-activated dialing, voice destination entry for navigation systems, vehicle command and control, in-vehicle entertainment systems and connected services today available on more than 30 million vehicles and 30 million personal navigation devices worldwide.

“Today’s mobile consumer craves connectivity no matter where they are, evidenced by the increased demand for connected capabilities in the automotive environment. However, safer usage of these connected features behind the wheel is critical to minimize visual and manual distractions,” said Arnd Weil, general manager, Nuance Automotive.  “By joining the ng Connect Program, we’re able to collaborate with a number of technology, device and application providers to bring our speech capabilities to market in unique ways that make accessing connected car services and features safer and easier.”

As part of the ng Connect Program, Nuance will contribute to an in-vehicle solution concept that leverages the company’s innovations in speech recognition, natural language processing and text-to-speech technology, such as Nuance Voice Control for Automotive, the industry’s first one button solution for seamless voice-controlled access to all in-vehicle and connected services. In myriad industry studies, availability of in-vehicle voice control and command applications has proven to minimize both visual and manual driver distractions.

"The ng Connect Program ecosystem is growing rapidly due to the amazing industry interest in the creation of services for next-generation networks. Program members are collaborating on state-of-the art user experiences that support society’s interest in being connected anywhere, any time and through a multitude of ‘smart’ devices - which now includes vehicles. We're pleased to welcome Nuance to the program and are looking forward to their contributions to the next-generation of connected services,” said Derek Kuhn, Vice President of Emerging Technology & Media at Alcatel-Lucent, a founding member of the ng Connect Program.

About Nuance Communications, Inc.

Nuance is a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications and professional services. For more information, please visit: www.nuance.com.

About the ng Connect Program

The ng Connect Program is a multi-industry organization committed to the development and rapid deployment of the next generation of broadband services based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) and other ultra high bandwidth technologies. Founded in 2009, the ng Connect Program is supported by leading network, consumer electronics, application and content providers including 4DK, Alcatel-Lucent, Atlantic Records, BUZZMEDIA, chumby, Connect2Media, CoolSign, Creative Technology Ltd., Desktone, EON Reality, FISHLABS, GameStreamer, Inc., Gemalto, HP, Intamac Systems Ltd., K12, Inc., Kabillion, Kyocera Communications Inc., LearningMate, LiveCast, MediaTile, Nuance Communications, Mobideo, Movial, NCR Corporation, Optical Crime Prevention, Inc., QNX, R360, RebelVox LLC., Samsung, SIGNEXX, Total Immersion, Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc., TuneWiki, V-Gate, Vidyo and Words & Numbers. For more information on the ng Connect Program, please visit: www.ngconnect.org.