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The number of mobile internet users stood at 456 million in December 2017, over 17 per cent higher than December 2016, said the report titled ‘Mobile Internet in India 2017’ that also identified young students as being the most prolific consumer of such services.
“The number of mobile internet users is estimated to reach 478 million by June 2018… Handset manufacturers have been producing more affordable smartphone/feature phones, while telecom service providers are now offering better connectivity at more affordable prices,” said the joint report by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and KANTAR-IMRB.
The report estimates 291 million urban mobile internet users, with 187 million rural users by June.
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The report forecast that given a 59 per cent penetration, urban India is expected to witness a slowdown, while rural India with only 18 per cent mobile internet penetration would emerge as the next area of growth.
It also revealed that mobile internet is predominantly used by youngsters, with 46 per cent of urban users and 57 per cent of rural users below the age of 25.
“Urban India has around twice the proportion of users over the age of 45, while the age range of 25 to 44 has almost equal distribution of users in urban and rural areas,” an IAMAI statement said detailing out the usage pattern across various age brackets.
Young students turned out to be the “most prolific users of most services”, while middle-aged and older men show greater propensity of using social networking and browsing.
“Working women have the highest propensity of social networking and browsing, while non-working women have the highest propensity for text chatting,” it said.