Zi’s 54 language database ability means it supports more than two-thirds of the world’s population for predictive text messaging
Lund, Sweden and Calgary, AB, Canada, January 18, 2006 — Zi Corporation (Nasdaq: ZICA) (TSX: ZIC), a leading provider of intelligent interface solutions, today became the world’s number one mobile device language database provider when it launched six new language databases for its award-winning predictive text products. Zi’s eZiText for one-touch entry prediction and eZiTap for intelligent multi-tap entry are now available in four new languages for the Indian wireless market and two new languages for the African wireless market. Subscribers in these emerging wireless markets can now enter text more quickly and customize their mobile phones through the use of personal language.
With the six new languages, Zi is now supporting more languages worldwide than any vendor in the predictive text messaging market. Now supporting 54 language databases, Zi provides intuitive user interface solutions for more than two thirds of the world’s population. By integrating Zi’s powerful predictive text products into their phones, mobile phone manufacturers can enhance the text messaging experience for subscribers and drive increased usage rates for mobile operators. The six new language databases have already been delivered to a major Zi customer for use in its mobile phones.
“With mobile subscribers in both Africa and India growing at a rapid pace, these low penetration, high growth markets have specific language needs,” said Milos Djokovic, chief technical officer and chief operating officer, Zi Corporation. “By supporting six new language databases, Zi is enabling mobile operators and phone manufacturers in India and Africa to provide subscribers with predictive text messaging products to help meet the market demand for new wireless services. By empowering mobile phone users with simplified text messaging functionality, wireless operators can increase adoption and usage rates among the subscriber community.”
With Gartner predicting that the Indian cellular services market will reach $24 billion by the end of 2009 and other sources citing India as one of the fastest growing markets in the world, adding nearly 2 million new subscribers each month, Zi is helping mobile operators and handset manufacturers capitalize on this exploding market with specific language offerings for text input and messaging. In the Indian subcontinent, added to its existing language offering of Hindi, which has 340 million speakers, and Urdu, with more than 10 million, Zi is now supporting predictive text messaging technology for 227 million Bengali speakers, 66 million Tamil speakers, 50 million Punjabi speakers and 46 million Gujarati speakers.
In Africa, Gartner predicts wireless subscribers to grow from 92 million in 2005 to nearly 154 million by 2010. Zi’s new African language databases will enable more than 50 million Swahili speakers and 6.4 million Afrikaans speakers to more quickly use text messaging services.
Zi will be at the 3GSM World Congress, February 13-16 in Barcelona, Spain. For media interviews or tours at 3GSM please contact Brian Dolby with GBCS PR on +44 (0) 115 948 6901 or e-mail brian@gbcspr.com.
