Enhanced version of software from Tegic

Tegic Communications, a subsidiary of America Online India Pvt Ltd, which develops embedded software for mobile devices, has launched an enhanced version of the popular T9 text input software in Punjabi in Chandigarh today.

It will enable users of cell phones and mobile devices to quickly write SMS text in their native languages.

"Punjabi is a language spoken by more than 100 million people around the world, including 25 million people in India, and hence by making T9 software available in Punjabi, it will enable subscriber to communicate more effectively in," said Mridul Srivastava, senior country manager, India, AOL's wireless division.

He said the software would also help native speakers use new wireless technology, mobile phones in their case, in own rich language.

Currently the Tegic's T9 text input software helps users of mobile phones and portable digital assistants to write SMS quickly in 49 languages, including five Indian languages namely Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil and Urdu.

Later this year the company expects to introduce its text input software for several more Indic languages, including Gujarati and Kannada.

According to a study by Portio research SMS (short message service) in India is expected to grow from 12.3 billion messages in 2004 ,to 180 billion in 2010.

Tegic Communications is currently in the process to give license to original equipment manufacturer in India.

However, according to Srivastava the challenge remains that it is the low and mid-range mobile handsets which have the indic language enabled T9 and not the hi-end handsets.