BSNL launches SMS in Malayalam

Thiruvananthapuram, May 17 (UNI) Mobile subscribers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in Kerala can now send SMS in their mother tongue, Malayalam.

Addressing a press conference here, BSNL Chief General Manager (Kerala Circle) S R Pillai said the BSNL launched the ''Geneva Messaging Service'' (GMS) with Geneva Software Technologies Ltd, on the auspicious occasion of World Telecom Day today.

Mr Pillai said the GMS would enable Multi-Lingual Short Message Service on BSNL subscriber's handsets. This service was currently available to BSNL subscribers having Java MIDP 2.0 compatible handsets.

GMS can be activated by downloading the Language Specific Application (LSA) on the handset. Downloading/installing the LSA required a GPRS enabled handset or a handset with Bluetooth, IR or cable facility, he said adding that ''the operation of the LSA does not require any of the above features on the senders or receivers handset.'' Mr Pillai said the service would help the subscribers compose and send short messages in the language of their choice and thereby encourages the use of their own languages.

At present the facility was available in Assamese, Bengali, Gujrati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu, he added.

''The technology will break the language barrier for data communication and help over 80 per cent of India's rural population communicate using GMS in the similar way as an English SMS user does,'' he said and added that BNSL would launch additional value added services in vernacular languages shortly.

UNI