Etak Inc., a unit of Tele Atlas and a publisher of digital map databases and real-time traffic information, has announced that it has licensed its real-time traffic service to BeVocal, an award-winning voice portal technology pioneer. Under this agreement, BeVocal will utilize the Etak/Westwood One traffic data feed in its voice-enabled services, enabling users to hear personalized, up-to-the-minute traffic reports for major metropolitan areas within the United States. BeVocal's Total Voice Portal solution, offered through telecommunications carriers, will deliver the Etak/Westwood One real-time traffic service to wireless and landline telephone users. In addition to real-time traffic reports, BeVocal's carrier partners also offer voice-enabled driving directions, flight information, business locations, weather, stock quotes, sports and news information simply by speaking. "BeVocal's research has found that mobile consumers want to be able to access location-based information while they're on the go," explained Amol Joshi, co-founder and vice president of marketing for BeVocal. "The Etak traffic service enables us to offer real-time traffic updates to users nationwide, covering 65 major metropolitan areas, making it a perfect match for BeVocal and our users." "The increasing mobility of the workforce is creating great demand for wireless services that can help people utilize their time more efficiently and effectively," said Kiyoshi Hamai, Etak's vice president of product management and support. "While Etak traffic reports help users minimize their time on the road by helping them to get around traffic snarls, the BeVocal voice portal enables these users to retrieve the information more quickly and safely." The Etak/Westwood One real-time traffic service, which now covers more than 92 percent of the nation's urban population, is provided through the cooperative efforts of Etak and Metro Networks. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Westwood One, Metro Networks is the world's largest supplier of broadcast radio and TV traffic reports. The traffic service offers detailed real-time traffic information covering major streets, highways and interstates nationwide. It provides detailed incident reports, including a description of the problem, expected duration of the problem and degree of impact on traffic. The report also details where traffic will be affected, including direction of traffic and traffic speeds where available. This empowers travelers to make more intelligent, informed travel route decisions, according to Hamai. For more information on Etak or Tele Atlas products and services, visit http://www.etak.com or http://www.teleatlas.com.