With more than 300 million of its population expected to access the Internet by December 2014, India will actually have more web users than the US soon. Out of these about 185 million are reported to be mobile Internet consumers, emphasizing more than ever the need for website owners and online news publishers amongst others to ensure that their domains are optimized for such platforms.
At present, China stands in the lead with its population of web users crossing 600 million, while the US has 279 million of the same. In an IMRB International and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) report titled Internet in India 2014, it’s been revealed that the number of urban folks accessing the web rose by 29 percent between October 2013 and the same month this year, to touch 177 million.
The corresponding figures show a 39 percent increase to reach 101 million during the same period in rural areas. A post on The Economic Times notes that the number of Internet users will mount to 302 million next month, up from 213 million at the end of December 2013. By June 2015, India may play house to a whopping 354 million people connected to the web.
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It took over 10 years for the number of web users in the country to climb from 10 million to 100 million. Within 3 years after that, the nation witnessed a growth from 100 million to 200 million. We then suddenly saw a rise from 200 to 300 million users in 1 year alone. The Internet has certainly become mainstream these days instead of being restricted to the haves.
By December 2014, those with access to the web in Indian urban areas may account for about 190 million, while rural crowds with Internet connectivity could touch 112 million. These figures may move up to 216 million and 138 million, respectively by June 2015.