Software giant Microsoft is working on developing a Bengali-language interface and expects it to be ready within a year, a company official said on Wednesday.

"Presently, three Bengali characters are missing in uni-code. We are working on it and are likely to incorporate it within six months. Developing other Bengali interfaces in other application software may require six more months", said Faycal Bouchlaghem, business development director for emerging markets, Microsoft Asia-Pacific.

"Microsoft believes in localisation of its products in over 60 languages. The wider technology localisation makes its products more user-friendly worldwide", he told the 'Daily Star' newspaper.

Bouchlaghem said Microsoft, which opened its Bangladesh office on Monday, would work with the government and the private sector to improve intellectual property rights practice to help the IT sector in the country.

Microsoft has in recent days undertaken an expansion of its community and economic development programmes in Asia as part of its global campaign to improve access to computers.

Asia is particularly important to Microsoft because the region is expected to be the biggest source of growth for the IT industry over the next 20-25 years.