MOBILE phone specialist Ericsson has signed agreements with two leading voice-processing companies, Vocalis and Brite, to integrate voice-activated dialling services which allow users to dial by saying either the name or the telephone number of the person they wish to call. This service is said to be particularly suited to drivers using mobile phones, bringing new levels of safety to hands-free phone kits.

Jonathan Hart, Vocalis' sales director, said: 'This means that many more mobile users will be able to use the voice-activated dialling. Users will have the ease of a more natural interface than the keypad. With the increasing legislation on the use of car phones, we believe voice-activated dialling will become a standard operator service.'