Internet Population Passes 1 Billion, India still only at 2.8%

When "85.7% of the population [of India] was living on less than $2.50 (PPP) a day in 2005" is it really that surprising that they are only at 2.8% penetration?

Many people in India are just trying to make enough to eat and survive. You think they care about using the internet?

Source: http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64165...

I guess I'm just trying to point out that the 2.8% really isn't that bad when you consider how many people are living below the poverty line.

Once internet access via cellphone becomes affordable to the masses like voice is, expect this number to explode.

Wired connections in India is expensive. I was paying Rs.900/- for a 256kbps connection over POTS from BSNL (govt owned Ma-bell size company etc.,) which is equal to $20 in US dollars. If you adjust to the PPP of 10:1, you can see how expensive it can get.

Also, people think of having computer at home mostly for the kids, if they can afford it.

There is not enough Indian specific content on the web. Most of "Indian" stuff is exclusively in English with local language media websites and blogs coming in at a very distant second. There is a distinct snobbery about not using their native tongues by english educated, city bred citizens when on the Net.

However, mobile is another ball-game. Mobile phones are ubiquitous across the nation, finding their way into the hands of even someone earning as little as Rs.5000/- a month (~$110). Many recent mobile phones do have native language interfaces and keyboard support and seem to be a hit in non-metro areas.

You are missing a critical caveat about these statistics:

"*Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs."

In countries like China and India, PDA's and smart phones are the only computing device in the home for a large segment of the population. My guess is that the percentage on the internet is much higher when this is taken into account. As emerging economies like China and India build a larger middle class with more disposable income, more people will buy "traditional" computers and possibly wired internet as well. Though, I also wouldn't be surprised if the majority of China's internet remains via wireless -- from what I've seen, China may actually have a better wireless infrastructure than the U.S.

2% of India is the same as ~60% in France. A % is not really a good idea here, though you are comparing what % of a nation's populace can get onto the net.