Dictionary on mobile phones soon

Cambridge University Press plans to introduce its dictionary on mobile phones in India and is looking for a service provider, Stephen R Bourne, CEO, CUP, said.

CUP had tied up with a Chinese telecom company last year to provide Cambridge learners dictionary in China.  "Many software and cellular service providers are on the look out for a quality content like dictionary," he said.

He said CUP wanted a similar tie-up with an Indian service provider to provide dictionary on mobile phone.

"We expect to join hands with some Indian company soon", he said. Speaking after opening the CUP's centre housing three departments - the CUP, Cambridge International Examinations and Cambridge English for speakers of other languages, he said it would serve as an institution that provides better service for the academic and language purpose of the dwellers of the metropolis.

Earlier CUP and Cambridge Assessment Board operated separately in most parts of the world, but now it has been brought together at the centre in Chennai and this model would be replicated elsewhere, he said.

Bourne said "better brand recognition" existed in India. "We want to deliver high quality products at a cheaper cost in India. The country is also one of the strategic countries for CUP after USA and China", he said.

"We are looking at low cost editions. We need to sell books at a cheaper cost here than in the West. The target in India for the next five years is to increase our business by three times and get closer to the people in the electronic age," he said.

To a question on photocopying of books, he said CUP was working with the Publishers Association of India to curb the menace. The issue came up only when the books became expensive.

He said the CUP's typesetting was being done at its offices in Bangalore, New Delhi, Pune and Pondicherry. CUP plans to expand its operations to other centres in India, including in the areas of printing, typesetting and other operations.

CUP published about 2.5 lakh titles per annum, with 20,000 authors across the world, including 700 Indian authors.