The big news this week has been India's impressive performance in Internet use. Apparently in September 2011, India crossed the 100-million mark of users.
The 100-million mark is considered a critical milestone for the nation. There is the possibility that India is now poised to enter a period of strong growth and the eventual pot of gold at the end of the rainbow — the largest Internet using country.
The annual I-Cube Report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB goes on to predict that India is set to have 121 million users by December 2011. Of these, 97 million will be active users accessing the net at least once a month.
Fewer cafes
The report also found that of the active users, 48 per cent used the Internet at least four or six times a week and 28 per cent used it daily. While cyber cafes remain an important area of access, the numbers are steadily falling. Access from home is at 37 per cent. This category has grown at the cost of access from cyber cafes and from offices.
What is interesting is the rural-urban mix in this 121 million who have claimed to use the Internet. The report says the bulk, about 92 million, would be from the cities, but the rest are from rural areas. A similar break-up is obvious with the 97 million active users, too.
