Driven by affordable smartphones, increasing adoption in rural areas and the popularity of 2G services in those territories, the number of Internet users in India is all set to reach a whopping 500 million by the year 2017. This prediction has been made on the basis of a study conducted by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and KPMG.
Around 350 million users in India happen to be connected to the Internet right now either through mobile devices or traditional computers. By the time we reach 2017, the country’s population is expected to breach the 1.25 billion mark. Having 500 million connected to the Internet by then is hence a huge deal.
The ‘India On The Go – Mobile Internet Vision Report 2015’ by IAMAI and KPMG has also particularly taken the growth of mobile Internet usage in India into account. The number is predicated to reach 236 million in 2016, whereas it will further rise to 314 million by 2017.
This means out of the 500 million Internet users in India in that year, 314 million will be mobile users. That is great news for mobile service providers and all those hoping to make the most of mobile Internet usage in India.
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It’s the rural areas that are greatly contributing to this growth, the report mentions. It is believed that the arrival of low-cost smartphones and low mobile tariffs have been the two main factors that have compelled users from the hinterland to use data connectivity.
These territories have a very high percentage of people utilizing 2G services, but a slow and steady growth towards adoption of 3G and 4G connectivity options can be expected in the years to come.