Describes the surge in Internet numbers and examines the factors contributing to the increase.

1. State of Internet in India Excerpts from a report by Internet and Mobile association of India (IAMAI), IMRB and eTech

2. Snapshot 2009 India has seen a steady growth in internet usage. Penetration rates continue to be relatively low @ 24% of total urban individuals 2009 saw internet penetrating lower socio economic groups (Sec C,D and E) The lower socio economic groups usage is more striking as the combined usage in these geographies has overtaken the top cities and higher socio economic classes in numbers

3. Snapshot 2009 Youth segment drives the internet usage in India and form major portion of users Internet is primarily used for searching general information and for entertainment Internet is mostly accessed from Cyber Cafés. However mobile phone usages is on the increase Internet is mostly used for entertainment (downloading videos and music), Social Networking (Facebook, Orkut), microblogging (Twitter) and user generated content (Wiki, Youtube)

4. Stats Total Population ~ 818 million* Urban Population ~ 266 million Urban Literate Population ~ 217 million Total English Speaking Population ~ 91 million Total Computer Literate ~ 87 million Nearly 25% of Indian Population stay in cities. Out of which, 32% are PC Literate. Of the PC Literate population, 72% have used Internet. Of the universe of Internet users, 73% are actively using Internet (accessed it in atleast once in last 1 month). The penetration of Internet usage is low at 24% amongst urban Individuals. *: NRS 2006, Population with 12years of age and above

5. Stats

6. Growing Urban Internet Population

7. Growing Urban Internet Population

8. Growing Urban Internet Population

9. Internet Traffic: Small towns edging out Top 8 metros A telling statistic which shows that in terms of Internet Traffic in India, Small Towns are edging out Top 8 metros in terms of absolute numbers.

10. Internet Traffic: Small towns edging out Top 8 metros Penetration increasing amongst lower SEC groups: Sec C,D and E Internet traffic increase attributed to higher literacy rates, easy availability and affordability of internet access Though lower SEC groups form considerable part of internet users, penetration still low given a high population base compared to higher SECs

11. Youth driving the Internet usage

12. Youth driving the Internet usage School and College students contribute 44% of the internet usage Adding Young Men (21-35 yrs) to this statistic will increase the internet usage between these segments to 72% SarvaSikshaAbhiyan and 1 Laptop per child which aim to disseminate computer education among Youth should also be developed.

13. Internet Users exploring different access points

14. Internet Users exploring different access points Cyber Cafes dominate the access to internet with 37% share Even though the number of cyber cafes have reduced in metros, it continues to dominate access to internet in small towns Office use of the internet contributes the next big chunk to internet usage @30% As Internet becomes a more integral part of office infrastructure, accessing Internet through offices continues to rise An interesting pattern is the emergence of Mobiles and Kiosks as an alternate access points Governments Internet Kiosks initiative is thus starting to kick in as a internet access point in Rural areas With 3G roll outs on the cards, the mobile access to internet will be on the rise.

15. Various Purposes of accessing Internet

16. Various Purposes of accessing Internet Internet as a medium of socializing and leisure activities gaining space across Search and education related information is adding traffic substantially Availability of academic material (such as CBSE books) fueling traffic Introduction of online examination tests such as CAT and JEE increasing student interface with the Internet

17. Preferences of online services across online segments

18. Preferences of online services across online segments Email and Information search are big two activities across all segments of users Email as an activity has decreased Social Networking and e-Commerce led activities increasing as Internet activities

19. Internet is slowly becoming a routine for users

20. Internet is slowly becoming a routine for users Almost half of the online population accesses internet 4-6 times in a week. Usage has registered a steep 70% increase 9.3hrs/week to 15.7 hrs/week The reasons for increase in usage are better content delivery, better applications and their increased popularity

21. Fueling Growth in Internet Stats

22. Fueling Growth in Internet Stats Organic growth Increased usage through more access points: Kiosks, Community Computers, Internet pervading into office and school space. Inorganic Growth Vernacular content on Internet pages, Other delivery mechanisms for Internet, 3G, Cheap Data plans from mobile operators, More services available online