India to Hit 24 Million Rural Internet Users in 2011

The Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International have provided an insightful research about the internet in rural India. The report showed that the total number of active internet users in rural area is projected to rise by a whopping 98%, from 12.1 million in December 2010 to 24 million by December 2011.

An improved internet awareness in rural areas was credited to the fast growth experienced. Government initiative was also conducted to facilitate internet networks and ‘common service centers’ (or cyber cafes) both of which increased in 2010. Back in October 2010, we reported that India’s rural area would be going through a network facelift which cost US$3.4 billion. While it has only been 6 months, we can safely claim that the initiative has been pretty successful, at least in statistical terms. Most of the internet users in rural areas have had to access internet from common service centers.

41% of the internet users used the internet for entertainment purposes such as watching, downloading and listening to music and videos. While 32% used the internet for email, chat and communication. The rest was made up of business usage and browsing.

With the growth of supporting network technology and popularity of social media, it is likely that internet usage in India will continue to grow. However, India did drop a little in the recent WEF Network Readiness Index. But as far as we can see, witnessing internet adoption picking up where it’s needed most is certainly a promising sign for the country.

Some interesting infographics on India:

• How India uses the Internet [INFOGRAPHIC]
• LinkedIn in Asia: India 9, Australia 2, China 1 [INFOGRAPHIC]
• The Social Media Landscape in India [INFOGRAPHIC]

Photo: The Hindu