India will have 155 million mobile Internet users by March: IAMAI

Mobile Internet in India has exploded over the past few months. In October last year, 86 million users in India were found accessing the Internet via mobile devices. And in just six months since then, that number is all set to be nearly double.

A new Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) report now suggests that the number of users in India accessing the web on their mobile handsets is expected to reach 155 million by March this year. The user base will grow further to 185 million by June this year, so nearly 100 million new users will be added in the eight months since the October data. The number of users accessing Internet via mobile until December 2013 was 110 million, says the report.

“The number of mobile internet users is going to reach 155 million in India by the end of March 2014, and 185 million by June 2014, maintaining a quarter-on-quarter growth of 20 per cent,” a report by IAMAI and IMRB International said.

According to the report, mobile Internet users in urban India is expected to grow from 103 million in December 2013 to 126 million in March 2014 and further touch 153 million by June. On the other hand, the rural India will also account for a smaller share, and is expected to register a growth of 32 million users (in June 2014) from the 27 million in December 2013.

The report further reveals that the average revenue per user (ARPU) has slipped down to Rs 387 from Rs 460 in 2012. And, the percentage amount spent on mobile Internet has gone up to 45 percent in 2013 from 43 percent in the previous year.

The report also highlights that 35 percent of the mobile Internet users spend between Rs 100 and Rs 500 monthly on their phone expenses. It further says that nine percent are believed to be spending over Rs 500 and six percent are spending less than Rs 100 every month.

(With input from news agencies)