The company already has an existing software development center in the city with a strength of 250 developers. It will set up another facility to take the number to over 1,000 developers, according to Oracle Software India country manager Shekhar Dasgupta.

However, he refused to disclose the investment that the ERP and e-business software solutions major will make in expanding its India operations. The Bangalore center is part of Oracle Corporation's largest world class product development facility. The company is expected to move the Foreign Investment Promotion Board soon.

``The present center is bursting at the seams. It has become inadequate for our requirements keeping in mind our strong foray into e-business solutions,'' said Dasgupta.

The expansion will cater to Oracle's new thrust ondeveloping software in its cutting edge technology areas such as mobile computing and e-business solutions built around its Oracle 8i platform.

The expansion will be done in two phases with about 400 to 500 professionals being employed within next six months and the number reaching 750 over next 18 months.

Meanwhile, Oracle India is gearing up to launch the next version of its Internet database, the Oracle 816, in two Indian languages-Hindi and Tamil-by June 2000, ahead of the September deadline set earlier. The company plans to launch it in seven other regional languages within a year. Oracle India is also looking for opportunities `to incubate technologies' in upcoming areas such as WAP. It has embarked on a roadshow to 125 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, targeting top business executives. ``There is absolutely no doubt that the e-business tsunami is sweeping across the region. These roadshows will unveil our capabilities as the leading e-business provider in the world,'' said Oracle'sAsia-Pacific director technology solutions Tony Banham.