India now third biggest internet user after China and US-December 14, 2010

India now third biggest internet user

Indo-Asian News Service

Kolkata, December 14, 2010

First Published: 19:57 IST(14/12/2010)

Last Updated: 20:01 IST(14/12/2010)


With a user base of 100 million, the country now stands third in the world in terms of the number of people surfing the net, an official of internet search engine Google said in Kolkata on Tuesday. "China has the highest number of internet users at 300 million followed by the US with 207 million. India comes third with the number of internet users now soaring to 100 million," Vinay goel, head of products, Google India, told mediapersons.

Of the internet users in the country, 40 million access the net through mobile phones.

"Our estimate is that by 2012, the number of mobile internet users will surpass those entering the net via their laptops or desktops. The number of mobile internet surfers in India is growing rapidly. In 2007, the country had only two million such users. Now the number has gone up 20 times," Goel said.

However, he pointed out that there was a massive scope of increasing the user base in the mobile internet space as the figure of 40 million comprises only eight percent of those carrying mobile phones.

Goel said that most of the internet users in the country search for songs.

If government focus on our rural and semi urban population with special alternative and cost consideration offers, India will become top internet user. There is big rural market of Internet in India.

This is a rather strange report. The Union Min. of Telecom has been mourning that India could only reach 10 million broadband connections against the planned 20 million connections. They have made fresh plans to reach 80 million in another two years. This seems a more reasonable figure. How has Vinay Goel of Google, Kolkata presented his data is a question for him to answer. The mobile phone connections are consistently of very low bandwidth. Now with 3.5G services being launched, a broadband connection is possible ,,, at a steep price of maybe Rs. 1 per MB data download. Also his hopes of increasing connectivity is a dream since very large majority cannot afford the new phones which will permit this facility.

yea - this figure is a hogwash. The REAL internet is comparable on broadband - and we have just 10 million of those. someone should teach t hese people that mindless beating of the chest over hollow claims puts the country in an even worse spotlight!!!

eh? whats REAL internet and what is FAKE internet ?? There is only one internet (at least in the world we stay in; not in your day-dreams.. ) which can be accessed via a desktop or a laptop or a phone.. the medium of access is not as important as the access to the internet itself..

and as far as access to the internet is concerned, 100 million Indians today can surf the web.. whether on their laptops or on the phone.. which is what this article says..