Rural Internet Users to Reach 45 Mn By December 2012
Thu, 30 Aug 2012 - IAMAI
New Delhi, August 30, 2012: Rural India has 38 million claimed internet users and 31 million active internet users, according to the latest I-Cube Report on Internet in Rural India by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB. The penetration of claimed internet users in rural India has grown from 2.6 percent in 2010 to 4.6 percent in 2012, a CAGR of 73 percent. On the other hand, the penetration of active internet users has grown from 2.13 percent in 2010 to 3.7 percent in 2012.
According to the report, the number of claimed internet users in rural India is expected to reach 45 million by December 2012.
Commenting on the report Dr. Subho Ray, President of IAMAI stated, “This is just the tip of the iceberg, in the next two years, a combination of affordable smart phones, optic fibre backbone and local language content is likely to change the beat all projections of internet growth in rural areas.”
The report further states that mobile phones are fast emerging as an important point of internet access in rural India. As of June 2012, there were 3.6 Mn Mobile Internet Users in India, a growth of 7.2 times from 0.5 million in 2010.
Community Service Centres (CSC) and Cyber Caf?s are the major point of access for internet users in rural India. 57.7 percent of the internet users accessed internet through this common user points. A significant 12 percent of the internet users access internet on their mobile phones.
Entertainment is the primary driver of internet use in rural India. 75 percent of rural users use internet for entertainment while 56 percent use it for communications Users like to access Music, Videos and Photos for entertainment.
There is a growing interest amongst the rural constituents seeking information on education. 81 percent of claimed internet users seek information pertaining to school / university and exam centres.
About IAMAI
The Internet and Mobile Association of India [IAMAI] is a young and vibrant association with ambitions of representing the entire gamut of digital businesses in India. It was established in 2004 by the leading online publishers, but in the last seven years has come to effectively address the challenges facing the digital and online industry including mobile content and services, online publishing, mobile advertising, online advertising, ecommerce and mobile & digital payments among others.
Seven years after its establishment, the association is still the only professional industry body representing the online and mobile VAS industry in India.
The association is registered under the Societies Act and is a recognised charity in Maharashtra. With a membership of 130 plus Indian and MNC companies, and offices in Delhi and Mumbai, the association is well placed to work towards charting a growth path for the digital industry in India.
About IMRB International
Established in 1971, IMRB International is a pioneer in market research. IMRB is a member of the Kantar Group, part of the WPP company. Kantar is one of the world’s largest consumer insight networks. IMRB's footprint extends across 26 offices in 14 countries – Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Netherland, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, South Korea, UAE and United Kingdom. With over 1200 full time staff, IMRB provides high quality conceptualisation, strategic thinking, execution and interpretation skills. IMRB International is the only research company in India that offers such a wide range of research based services to its clients. IMRB International's specialized areas includes consumer market research both quantitative and qualitative, industrial market research, business to business market research, social and rural market research, media research, retail research, and consumer panels.
