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Savvy mobile phone owners have adopted the English script to send short messages (SMS) in their local languages.









Savvy mobile phone owners have adopted the English script to send short messages (SMS) in their local languages. Cellular operator Celltel's local language SMS service was slow to take off due to its limited options including the hassle of downloading one of a limited number of preset phrases, and then sending an SMS.

Instead, Chief Executive Dunimdra Ratnayake says a growing number of users had adopted the English script to type their messages in local languages.

However, industry sources say SMS prevalence levels were confined to urban areas, with the rural population still looking for an affordable voice service.

Ratnayake says, Celltel's Tango package, its low cost option to the users who want a voice line but cannot afford a fixed phone service or a features packed GSM service, continues to be popular in rural areas.

The analog network, company officials say offers a wider coverage per tower compared to the GSM alternative, allowing rural Sri Lankans to take their phone some t