Mobile internet users in India to reach 371 mn by June: Report

Driven by higher adoption in rural India, the number of mobile internet users in the country is expected to reach 371 million by June 2016, a report said here on Wednesday.

The report titled "Mobile Internet in India 2015", was released by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International.

"There were 306 million mobile internet users in India in December 2015. Of the 306 million internet users, 219 million users are from urban India, which registered a year-on-year growth of 71 percent, while the user base in rural India has gone up by 93 percent from December 2014, to reach 87 million in December 2015," the report said.

The report said the share of mobile internet spend out of the average monthly bill increased to 64 percent in 2015, compared to 54 percent in 2014.

The average monthly bill has reduced to the extent of 18 percent compared to last year.

"For the first time 'online communication' has surpassed 'social media websites' to top the purpose to access mobile internet list. Eighty percent of the urban users use mobile internet for communication whereas 74 percent access social networking sites using their mobile internet," the report said.

It said that in rural India, however, the majority of the users access mobile internet for entertainment.