Despite low connectivity, slow speeds Indians can’t imagine life without internet

Key Highlights

• 82% Indian respondents said they cannot live without internet.
• India ranked first in the survey of those who can't live without internet.
• United Kingdom had 86% of its adult population who could access the internet in 2016.

Though internet penetration in India has been relatively low, this has not stopped its people from falling in love with staying connected online. Most amount of people who said they ‘can’t live without the internet,’ stemmed from India, a report by Statista said on August 29.

“While 73% of Americans said they cannot imagine an unconnected life, the highest share was recorded in India at 82%,” the report said.

The report was based on Ipsos report that surveyed 18,180 people were surveyed across 23 countries.

India had surpassed UK, China, Germany and even United States to land the number one spot for people who couldn’t live without internet.

You will find more statistics at Statista

This dependency on the internet that is commonly attributed to rising number of millennials may not hold true for all societies. “It isn't just millennials who are losing touch with a world without smartphones, emails and social media. Research from Ipsos has found that society in general just can't live without the internet,” the report said.

Total number of wireless subscribers in India stood at 118.68 crore in June; while broadband subscribers were at 30 crore only, as per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data as on June 30, 2017.

Out of these wireless subscribers only 50.61 crore subscribers hailed from India’s rural India where the tele-density was 57.31%. Urban tele-density was at an astounding 167.97%, TRAI data showed.

In comparison, the country to rank second on the list – United Kingdom, had 86% of its adult population who could access the internet in 2016, another report by Statista said.

Internet connectivity in India grew faster than the rest of the world, as per the India Trends 2017 report by Kleiner Perkins.

India's internet users grew by over 28% while global internet user growth was flat at 10%.

The country that has been debated to have the slowest internet connection in Asia has simultaneously had double digit growth in internet users since 2013.

“India was 155th in the world in mobile broadband penetration. Now India is number 1 in mobile data consumption and well on its way to becoming number 1 in mobile broadband penetration, in the coming months,” Managing Director, Mukesh Ambani reiterated at Reliance Industries 40th AGM on July 21.

At the AGM, the company introduced its 4G VoLTE enabled feature phone post which many other brands like Intex have introduced their own feature phones.

Airtel also seems to be in advanced talks with Indian handset makers such as Lava and Karbonn to introduce a 4G smartphone priced at about Rs 2,500 before Diwali.

With the introduction of cheaper feature phone variants with 4G VoLTE technology, India’s internet penetration has been estimated to increase over the years.

Also Read: 

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• Increasing internet penetration to boost revenue from data services for telcos
• Indian smartphone makers to battle for sub-Rs 4,000 4G smartphone segment with new launches