Internet access from home is rising: study

Mumbai, Oct 27 (UNI) Cyber Cafes or Public Access points with a 39 per cent share of users continue to be the most important internet access points in India.

This was revealed by the 'Internet in India' study jointly carried out by the Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Indian Market Research Bureau International.

It is, however, doubtful as to how long this dominance will continue, since the share of cyber cafes has been steadily declining from a peak of 52 per cent in 2003. Access from home showed a marginal increase to 22 per cent from 20 per cent in 2003.

It has steadily risen from 23 per cent in 2003 to 31 per cent in 2006 and prima facie seem to be gaining on the loss of market share by cyber cafes. One of the most significant finds of the study was that access from schools and colleges remained insignificant at 6 per cent.

This remains a major cause of concern since internet access through schools and colleges not only creates the next generation of users but also goes a long way in reducing digital and hence socio-economic divide.

The demographic break up of the data, too, reveals interesting trends. 53 per cent School Going Kids and 53 per cent College Going Students access internet from cyber cafes followed by 47 per cent of non-working women. Non-working women, significantly, account for the highest percentage of access from homes (47 per cent) followed by Older Men (39 per cent). Access from offices is dominated by Older Men and Working Women (41 per cent and 38 per cent respectively), a release issued by IAMAI said.

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