Tuesday
March 6, 2:58 PM
U.S. firm offers Web addresses in nine Indian languages
By Rajiv Sekhri
NEW
DELHI (Reuters) - Speakers of nine Indian languages can
now register Web addresses in their native tongues, the
U.S.-based Network Solutions Inc. said on Tuesday after
launching the new service.
"The
launch will enable people from various parts of India
to break through the language barrier and appreciate the
power of the Internet," Arthur Chang,
Network Solutions' Asia-Pacific managing director, told
a news conference.
Network
Solutions merged with the U.S.-based VeriSign Inc. , a
firm that sells Web addresses, in June 2000.
Chang
said the new service would benefit Indian firms and multinationals
looking for brand recognition in Indian languages.
While
the service enables companies and individuals to register
Web addresses in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam,
Oriya, Punjabi (Gurumukhi), Tamil and Telugu, some say
just having an address in a native language will not fill
the digital divide.
"The
people who know (how to operate) computers in India have
learned that mainly through English. You have to teach
people (how to operate) computers in their native language,"
said Pankaj Jaiswal, managing director of DotCom Services
(India) Pvt. Ltd.
While
Jaiswal said the idea was "definitely worth it",
he added that it might take years to reap benefits.
"Taking a domain name is easy
if you have money. But to access it you need to know how
to operate the computer and also have content in the language,"
said Jaiswal, whose firm is a partner of Network Solutions
and registers domain names.
The cost will range between $25 and $50 and can be paid
in Indian rupees. In addition, to type a Web address in
one of the nine Indian languages, users will need a keyboard
in that language.
With Network Solutions' and VeriSign's system, the multi-lingual
addresses will still be half in English, using the final
".com" or ".org" suffix.
India's
National Association of Software and Service Companies
(NASSCOM) welcomed Network Solutions' announcement.
"We
are very happy and excited about this," said Dewang
Mehta, president of NASSCOM. "We have decided to
sign a memorandum of understanding between NASSCOM and
Networks Solutions to work together to proliferate Indian
local language domain names to every state and nook and
corner of the world."
Mehta
said he expects nearly 50 million Internet users in
India by 2003, adding that half of them will surf the
Web in their native tongue.
He
said the NASSCOM is taking steps to increase content
in Indian languages and is working with the government
to improve electricity and bandwidth conditions in villages.
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