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The internet user base in India is set to surpass 900 million by 2025, driven by the growing use of Indic languages for digital content. The ‘Internet in India Report 2024,’ jointly prepared by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and KANTAR, reveals that the number of Active Internet Users in India reached 886 million in 2024, marking a robust 8% year-on-year growth. Rural India, with 488 million users, leads this growth and now accounts for 55% of the total internet population.

The report highlights the increasing role of Indic languages in shaping internet consumption patterns. Nearly all internet users (98%) accessed content in Indic languages, with Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam emerging as the most popular due to their extensive availability. Over half (57%) of urban internet users prefer consuming content in regional languages, underscoring the growing demand for local language content across platforms.

Biswapriya Bhattacharya, Director B2B and Technology, Kantar Insights – South Asia commented, “AI has emerged as a significant game changer over the past year. Nine out of ten internet users have interacted with apps featuring embedded AI capabilities. The benefits of AI are no longer confined to a small segment of internet users but extend across the entire user spectrum. The widespread acceptance and enthusiasm surrounding AI should encourage digital companies to introduce more next-generation AI features in India. At the same time, it is crucial for these companies to ensure their solutions are both accurate and ethical.” 

The report highlights that the digital gender gap in India is steadily narrowing, with 47 % of all internet users in the country being women, so far the highest. Female internet users now form a significant portion of shared device users in rural India: 58%. This marks substantial progress in making digital access more inclusive and equitable over the years.

While internet penetration continues to grow, the pace has moderated, especially in urban areas, compared to the exponential growth seen in previous years. Rural India, however, continues to witness double the growth rate of urban regions, reflecting the untapped potential in these areas.
Urban India leads in the adoption of non-traditional devices such as smart TVs and smart speakers, which have grown by 54% between 2023 and 2024. Concurrently, mobile devices remain the primary means of accessing the internet across both urban and rural demographics.

Rural India dominates online engagement for top activities, including OTT video and music streaming, online communication, and social media usage, outpacing urban users in these categories. Conversely, activities like net commerce, digital payments, and online education are still more prevalent among urban populations.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/india-to-cross-900-million-internet-users-by-2025-increased-use-from-rural-areas-report-53613.htm">Read: India to cross 900 million internet users by 2025, increased use from rural areas: Report</a>



Surge in Indic language adoption leads to 55% increase in rural internet users


The number of internet subscribers in India continued to climb in the last quarter of 2023, according to the Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report. The report shows a growth of 1.96 percent from September to December, bringing the total number of subscribers to 936.16 million.


While wired internet subscribers remained steady at around 38.57 million, the growth came primarily from the wireless segment, which reached 897.59 million subscribers. This trend reflects the increasing reliance on mobile internet in India.


The report also highlights a rise in broadband adoption. Broadband subscribers grew by 2.21 percent to reach 904.54 million, while narrowband subscribers saw a slight decline to 31.62 million.


On the other hand, wireline subscribers increased also saw a growth. From 30.98 million at the end of September 2023, wireline subscribers grew to 31.84 million at the end of December 2023 with a quarterly rate of growth 2.79 percent. On Y-O-Y basis, wireline subscriptions also increased by 15.98 percent at the end of the quarter ended December 2023.
Reliance Jio holds the top position with 50.23 percent of market share of internet subscribers followed by Bharti Airtel Ltd with 30.24 percent at the quarter ended December 2023. M/s Vodafone Idea Ltd held the third position in respect of internet subscriber base with market share of 14.68 percent.


Out of total 38.57 million wired internet subscribers, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd holds 26.91 percent market share with 10.38 million subscribers, followed by Bharti with 7.39 million subscribers.


Volume of total wireless data usage increased from 47,629 PB during quarter ended September 2023 to 49,543 PB during quarter ended  December 2023 with quarterly rate of growth 4.02 percent. Out of total data wireless usage, 2G data usage was 45 PB, 3G data usage was 324 PB, 4G data usage was 42,935 PB and 5G data usage was 6,239 PB during the quarter.


Total number of wireless data subscribers increased from 880.11 million at the end of September 2023 to 896.68 million at the end of December 2023.

The contribution of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G data usage in total volume of wireless data usage are about 0.09 percent, 0.65 percent, 86.66 percent and 12.59 percent respectively during the quarter ended December 2023.

India's internet subscription surges 2 percent in Sep-Dec 2023: Mobile at 897 million, broadband at 904 million

The total broadband subscribers in India increased from 904.54 million at the end of December 2023 to 911.03 million at the end of January 2024 with a monthly growth rate of 0.72 percent. As per latest TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) data, the top five service providers constituted 98.35 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of January 2024. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, BSNL and Atria Convergence.



As on 31st January, 2024, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Atria Convergence Technologies and Oneott Intertainment Limited. On the other hand, the top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, BSNL and Intech Online Pvt. Ltd. 




Wireline subscribers in the country increased from31.84 million at the end of December 2023 to 32.54 million at the end of January 2024. Net increase in the wireline subscriber base was 0.70 million with a monthly rate of growth 2.19 percent. The share of urban and rural subscribers in total wireline subscribers were 91.44 percent and 8.56 percent respectively at the end of January, 2024.



The Overall Wireline Tele-density in India increased from 2.28 percent at the end of December 2023 to 2.33 percent at the end of January 2024. Urban and Rural Wireline Tele-density were 6 percent and 0.31 percent respectively during the same period.BSNL, MTNL and APSFL, the three PSUs access service providers, held 28.78% of the wireline market share as on 31st January, 2023.



Wireless subscribers increased from 1,158.49 million at the end of December 2023, to 1,160.71 million at the end of January 2024, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.19 percent.



Wireless subscription in urban areas increased from 633.44 million at the end of December 2023 to 633.96 million at the end of January 2024 and wireless subscription in rural areas also increased from 525.05 million to 526.75 million during the same period. 



Monthly growth rate of urban and rural wireless subscription was 0.08 percent and 0.32 percent respectively.


The Wireless Tele-density in India increased from 82.95percent at the end of December 223 to 83.05 percent at the end of January 2024. The Urban Wireless Tele- density decreased from 127.88 percent  at the end of December 2023 to 127.79 percent at the end of January 2024 however Rural Tele-density increased from 58.26 percent to 58.43 percent during the same period. 

The share of urban and rural wireless subscribers in total number of wireless subscribers was 54.62 percent and 45.38 percent respectively at the end of January 24. 

INTERNET