MUMBAI: In its attempt to tap the ever growing handset market in the country, BBC Hindi has launched all its audio programmes on the mobile site, m.bbchindi.com. The programmes will be available on demand shortly following their broadcast on radio.

These features are part of the newly launched m.bbchindi.com which caters to all types of mobile phones in India. For phones supporting Hindi text, there is a Text Version (m.bbchindi.com). For phones unable to support Hindi text, there is an Image Version (m.bbchindi.com/image).

For users short on time, the mobile site will also provide a one-minute news summary - updated through the day.

Speaking about the new service, Head of BBC Hindi Amit Baruah said, "Mobile phones are changing the way Indians consume news and information. With the launch of m.bbchindi.com, we aim to bring the BBC's journalistic reputation and credibility to the users of mobile devices."

BBC Hindi's mobile site has been developed keeping in mind the different needs of a Hindi user. Constantly updated news stories on the site provide a snapshot of the world at any given moment. Users who prefer to listen to news can download the audio programmes and bulletins and access it at their convenience.

BBC Hindi is the first international broadcaster in India to offer all its audio broadcasts on its mobile site. While BBC Hindi does not charge for this service, mobile operators will charge their subscribers for downloading of audio files.

The Hindi mobile market is still at a nascent stage. A lot of phones still don't support Hindi text. However, we are confident that our mobile site will be accessible on most mobile phones, added BBC Hindi's multimedia editor Santosh Sinha.

India had close to 672 million mobile phone subscribers at the end of June 2010. Recently, the country's major telecom operators bid close to $16 billion (75,600 crores) for the right to provide 3G services giving a further boost to the market.