It was early 2009 and Google India quoted - "The year 2009 was big for us. We used to think that India is basically low-end mobile market with users having no appetite for data consumption over mobile. But towards the February and March timeframe in 2009, we started seeing a sudden spike in traffic in mobile Internet space. We analyzed the data only to find that this is the real growth and the industry is growing". It was only a precursor from someone who has the best knowledge of Internet and its usage. To be frank, there is no clear data on the total number of mobile internet users in the country. There are over 500 million mobile subscribers in the country and and more than 140 million mobile connections are internet ready meaning that the devices have the capability to access internet. And when it comes to total number of active mobile internet users in the country, the pointers have always been throwing inconsistent numbers.
However, a very recent study by IAMAI pegs the total number of active mobile internet users in the country at more than 2 million. And some reports claims that there are more than 20 or 30 million active mobile internet users in the country.
Yes, the numbers can vary, depending upon various parameters based on which the surveys were done. But, there is one thing for sure. If et all Internet were to reach the masses in a country like India, mobile internet is the only logical solution. There are only 6 million broadband connections in the country and its growth can be bothered by various issues like availability of notebooks or the bandwidth. On the contrary, India has the second largest mobile subscriber base in the world and is the second largest mobile handset in the market.
The mobile Internet ecosystem is formed of broadcasters/publishers or advertisers, mobile device manufacturers, operators or carriers and platforms or technologies. In fact, mobile handset makers and carriers will have a major role to play in the mobile internet revolution in the country.
Mobile handsets which can access internet are already available at very reasonable rates. With the introduction of 3G and with the kind of competition that is out there currently, 3G compatible phones will also be available at cheaper rates. The low cost of a general packet radio service (GPRS)-ready mobile handset is a major factor which is driving growth.
On the other hand, the carrier have introduced various data plans at lower fares. Most cellular operators that are seeing a huge traction in the mobile internet user base, say that the plans being offered to subscribers have also become a major factor driving mobile internet usage. Cellular operators like Airtel, Tata Docomo, Aircel have introduced innovative data plans to help users get unlimited access to data for less than Rs 100 per month.
Aircel’s pocket Internet cards, for instance, are available for just Rs 98 per month (the company also offers a 3-day plan for Rs 14) and give unlimited browsing, gaming, music. Soon after Aircel introduced pocket Internet card in May 2009, Google saw a 50X increase in Internet usage on Google Mobile by Aircel customers.
The basic equation that will drive the mobile internet revolution in the country would be -
Mobile internet in India = Very low PC penetration + High Literacy rates + Very high penetration of mobiles + Increased sales growth of Smartphones + higher expectations of income growth + Availability of cheaper mobiles with GPRS + Lowering of data plan rates
Arun Gopalan $ Lead - HBJ Capital Service Pvt Ltd,
Arun@hbjcapital.com
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