Internet users set to double this year

MUMBAI, JULY 21: The number of Internet users in the country is set to double this year. Charting an Internet usage roadmap for the countr...

MUMBAI, JULY 21: The number of Internet users in the country is set to double this year. Charting an Internet usage roadmap for the country, a survey by International Data Corp IDC said that India would have a base of 4.0 million Internet users by 2001, 7.5 million users by 2002 and 13 million users by 2003 against 2.1 million users this year.

Fuelled by the growing awareness of Internet in Indian homes, overall Internet user base in the country is all set to touch the 22.5 million mark by 2004, reflecting a compounded annual growth rate of 77 per cent, the survey has said.

quot;India which is among the top five nations in Asia-Pacific, excluding Japan in terms of Internet users and is growing the fastest would have 22.5 million Internet users by 2004 as compared to 2.13 million users and 1.14 million subscribers at present,quot; according to the survey.

The Internet boom, it said, being largely driven by the home segment is growing at 123 per cent compounded annual growth rate CAGR, adding that the commercial segment would witness a 60 per cent growth during the period of reference.

On the Internet access points of various users, the survey said about 22 per cent of surfers access the net from home, 29 per cent from cybercafes, 31 per cent from the workplace and the balance from other places. Reiterating earlier surveys on voting E-mail and messages as the most-used feature of Internet, the survey said that more than 75 per cent of users accessed net for the same, while about 50 per cent used it for information, entertainment and chat purposes.

PC MARKET TO GROW 47 PC: India is all poised to become the fastest growing personal computer PC market in Asia Pacific witnessing a 47 per cent compounded annual growth rate CAGR at 75.2 lakh units by 2004 from 11 lakh units in 1999, according to a latest survey.

quot;While the PC market in Asia Pacific would move at 22 per cent CAGR during 1999-2004, India would be the fastest growing pc market at 47 per cent at 47 per cent CAGR,quot; the CDC survey has said.

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Chalking a roadmap for the upcoming surge in the PC market including desktops and portables, it said that country would have a PC base of 17.8 lakh units in 2000, 26.21 lakh units in 2001, 38.14 lakh units in 2002, and 52.8 lakh units in 2003. quot;Of this consumer desktop would produce the strongest growth at 56.9 per cent CAGR while commercial desktops would witness a 40.7 per cent CAGR,quot; it said adding that the portables would be pegged at 26.8 per cent CAGR during the period of reference.

Establishing a correlation between PC penetration and Internet connections in the country, it said that Internet had opened floodgates of new opportunities with as many as 79 per cent of households planning to purchase a PC this year going for internet connections.