Mobile internet users to reach 213 mn by June 2015

The number of mobile internet users in India is expected to reach 213 million by June 2015, according to a report released Tuesday by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International.

The report, Mobile Internet in India 2014, stated there were 173 million mobile internet users in India in December 2014.

"The mobile internet users in rural India are set to grow at a rate of 33 percent from October 2014 to reach 49 million by March 2015 and 53 million by June 2015," the report said.

Urban India, however, will continue to account for a larger percentage of the mobile internet users across the country and are expected to reach 143 million by March 2015 and 160 million by June 2015.

According to the report, the average monthly mobile bill has gone up by 13 percent to Rs.439 in June 2014. The proportion of this amount spent on mobile internet has gone up from 45 percent last year to 54 percent this year.

The average monthly spend on mobile internet has gone up by 36 percent to reach Rs.235 compared to last year.

The report stated that 63 percent of the mobile internet users spend between Rs.101 and Rs.500 monthly on their mobile connection while 26 percent spend between Rs.501 to Rs.1,000 and 7 percent of the users spend less than Rs.100 every month.

The study revealed that 26 percent of the non-working women access rental mobile internet plans that allow unlimited access to internet. A similar plan is also availed by one-fifth of college-going students and working women.

Nearly one-fourth of the school-going children and one-fifth of the non-working women use mobile internet on pay-per-site basis. Nearly 40 percent of the young men, working women as well as older men access mobile internet plans which entail limited access to internet.