47 percent of web users in India unaware of its use

By siliconindia   |   Wednesday, 28 January 2009, 22:41 IST   |    2 Comments
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Mumbai: At a time when the internet has emerged as a part of the basic necessities of life, the internet users in India are unaware of its usefulness. Around 47 percent of active internet users are doubtful on how the use of web is beneficial for them. The 47.3 million internet users who are considered for the study are those who use the web at least once a month. "Continuing niche growth of the internet is forcing two major realizations that need to be acted upon. Firstly, there needs to be a strong push in local language provision over the internet. In these markets, in addition to localized content, online applications that matter to individuals in their daily lives are needed," said Mohan Krishnan, senior Vice-President of BIRD, a specialized unit of IMRB International. The findings are a part of the I-cube study conducted by IMRB International and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). It is the urban users who continue to dominate internet use, contributing to 42 million of the 45 million-odd users. As per the findings of the study, the main barriers for people in India to use the web include high charges by cyber cafes, high cost of internet access at home and accessibility of cyber cafes. IAMAI President Subho Ray said, "The growth rate was alarming compared with the rest of the countries." The country saw 10 percent growth in terms of claimed internet users, whose frequency of use is less than one month to 57 million in September 2008 compared with 48 million in September 2007. Even the active users' growth is registered at less than 13 percent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis.