Fueled by security concerns - particularly those arising in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks - the voice biometrics market is emerging as one of the fastest-growing technologies in IT, experts say.

According to researchers at London-based ABI Research, broad interest and investment in a variety of the technologies will lead to spending on biometrics worldwide over the next five years growing from nearly $3 billion in 2008 to $7.3 billion in 2013.

Zehu Technologies is one company that’s expected to contribute to, and benefit from, that impressive growth. As a start-up last year, as our own TMC Contributing Editor Susan J. Campbell reported, the Tel Aviv-based company, then known as CellMax Systems Ltd., signed a five-year distribution agreement with Multitek Corp. that’s seen its services deployed to the Panama region’s rapidly expanding call center sector.

“(The company’s) strength is in its focus on highly accurate identification and verification of the human voice for access control,” Campbell wrote. “The company’s product suite features a range of ID management and security applications for the telecom, financial and security markets that are tailored to individual client needs. The company positions these solutions as having unprecedented rates of accuracy.”

For its part, Zehu says its technology enables fraud prevention, identity theft and suspect location while offering smooth system integration and low-cost implementation.

“With a comprehensive suite of voice verification products, (Zehu) offers a trustworthy and cost-effective alternative to established authentication methods such as passwords, routine questions, and PIN numbers,” officials say. “Backed by a powerful network of global partners and system integrators, (Zehu) enables a wide range of solutions for banking, privacy and security, and defense and law enforcement.”

The company will be showcasing its wares in booth 247 at the Internet Telephony Conference & Expo next month. The event is being held Sept. 16 to 18 in Los Angeles.

Recently, I put some questions to Steven Tover, executive vice president of business operations for Zehu - mostly about his take on the future of telecom and about Zehu’s successes. Tover surprised me - and made me smile - by making some bold predictions that involved not Apple or Google or Microsoft, but the New York Yankees and New York Jets.