Antrim-based IT company Texthelp Systems says it is enjoying export success with an innovative homegrown text-to-speech solution.

BrowseAloud, which was developed by the company, works by reading web content aloud, highlighting each word as it is spoken. According to Texthelp, this combination improves comprehension for those who find reading online difficult (one in five of the UK population).

The idea has significant business applications and Browsealoud had been adopted by global organisations such as Brother and UEFA.com.

In addition, orders have been won from government offices in North America and Europe, who want to make their websites more accessible. Texthelp, which is based at Enkalon Business Centre on the Randalstown Road and employs 83 people, is confident it can make further inroads into the international market. Chief executive Mark McCusker said: “We have had tremendous success with BrowseAloud in our domestic market with 60% of government and a large number of high profile organisations such as BT, Waterstones, British Airways, and Yell subscribing to the service.

“Our aim is to replicate this success on a global scale and we are delighted at the exceptional rate of adoption to date.” The company, which was set up in 1996, recently took part in an e-Inclusion Ministerial Conference in Vienna, which was attended by around 1,200 e-Inclusion leaders.

Among the fans of BrowseAloud is Patrick Gasser from Uefa, who said the solution had helped improve access to its website for football fans who had difficulty in accessing online content.