India's Internet Promise
India’s demographics provide ample reason to get excited about the Internet market’s potential for stellar growth there. But if New Delhi doesn’t address basic infrastructure snags, this new frontier won’t fulfill its high promise.
Consider the opportunity: About 70 percent of India’s people live in villages, and a staggering 84 percent of them aren’t yet aware of the Internet, according to a study by Internet and Mobile Association of India, an industry body.
India’s economic growth rate is one of the fastest among the world’s largest economies, but only 52 million people—just five percent of the total population—were using the Internet in 2009. Still, this is more than double the total three years ago, showing the potential in rapid urbanization and a predominantly young society.
