Statistics – Internet and Mobile

Stats on mobile phones
 - * number of mobile phone users, end of 2005: 76 million [Sify; Jan 2006]
 - * Indian population owning a mobile phone: 8 % [Sify; Jan 2006]
 - * average new mobile phone connections per month: around 3 million [PhysOrg;
   Jan 2006]
 - * number of new mobile connections between April – September 2005: 13 million
   [Sify; Oct 2005]
 - * previous number of mobile phone subscribers in India: 1995: 0.077 mil –
   2000:3.6 mil — 2002: 6.4 mil [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * growth in mobile phone market for 2003-2004: 89 % [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 - * government target for mobile phone subscriptions: 200 million by 2007 [BSNL;
   Jan 2006]
 - * mobile tele-density in India = number of mobile phones per 100 inhabitants:
   1991: 0 — 2002: 0.65 — 2004: 3.16 — 2005: 4.83 (mid 2005) [FL; Aug 2005]
 - * mobile phone penetration (mobile subscribers in proportion to total telephones):
   1995: 0.6 % — 2002: 14.6 % [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * combined customer base of all 9 GSM carriers in India: 58.5 million in Dec 2005
   (GSM: Global System for Mobile communication) [Sify; Jan 2006]
 - * number of new GSM customers: Nov 2005: 2.3 million — Dec 2005: 3.2 million
   [Sify; Jan 2006]
 - * growth in cell phone market 2000-2005: almost 2,700 % [HBL; Sep 2005]
 - * average minutes used per mobile per year: 330 minutes [HBL; Sep 2005]
 - * average revenue per user (ARPU) per year: 9.04 USD (CDMA 5.74 USD –
   GSM 8.89 USD) (GSM = Global System for Mobile communication;
   CDMA = Code Division Multiple Access) [HBL; Sep 2005]
 - * Indian land area covered by mobile networks: approx 30 % [Sify; Jan 2006]
 
 Mobile gaming, Music, SMS, MMS
 - * number of prayers sent by text message to Shree Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai:
   more than 10,000 SMS within a week of start of SMS prayer service [BSNL; Jan 2006]
 - * percentage of mobile subscribers using MMS (Multi Media Messaging):
   pre-paid: 27% — post paid: 37 % [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 - * number of game downloads onto mobiles: 0.45 million per month [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 - * mobile phone owners who use mobile games: 5 % [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 - * mobile data users who play games on mobile every month: almost 32 %
   [BSNL; Dec 2005]
 - * prognosis for growth in Indian mobile gaming market: growth of 700 % by 2010
   to annual revenues of 200 million USD [BSNL; Dec 2005]
 - * mobile users who would prefer music from their mobile: 26 % [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 - * mobile owners actually listening to music on their mobile: 9 % [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 
 Data on mobile performance / quality / congestion
 - * TRAI parameters for congestion limits: 1 call out of 200 between two operators
   is permitted to encounter congestion problems [Sify; Jan 2006]
 - * numbers of cities in which mobile congestion is above regulatory limit: 404
   [Sify; Jan 2006]
 - * numbers of cities in which mobile congestion is more than 10 percent of
   regulatory limit: 200 [Sify; Jan 2006]
 - * mobile operators not meeting performance parameters 2005: 5 (out of 11)
   [PhysOrg; Jan 2006]
 - * spectrum allocated by India’s Department of Telecom (DoT) to mobile operators:
   4.4 MHz for GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) –
   2.5 MHz for CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) [PhysOrg; Jan 2006]
 - * global average of spectrum allocated to mobile operators: 20 MHz for GSM –
   10 MHz for CDMA [PhysOrg; Jan 2006]
 
 Facts on telephony in India (mobile & fixed line)
 - * total tele-density in India as reported by TRAI: 1991: 0.6 — 2002: 4.48 — 2004: 7.17
   — 2005: 9.80 (TRAI = Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) [FL; Aug 2005]
 - * total tele-density in India as reported by ITU: 1991: 0.6 — 2002: 3.75 –
   2004: less than 5 (ITU = International Telecommunication Union) [FL; Aug 2005]
 - * number of total new phone connections in 2005: 32 million (includes mobile +
   fixed line) [Sify; Jan 2006]
 - * average new phone connections (mobile + fixed line) per month: around 5 million,
   majority in mobile [Sify; Jan 2006]
 - * percentage of phone users within the population: 11.43 % [IndiaDaily; Jan 2006]
 - * largest telecom operator in India: BSNL with 60 million subscribers [Sify; Jan 2006]
 
 Figures on Indian fixed line connections
 - * number of fixed telephone line users 2005: 49 million [Sify; Jan 2006]
 - * number of fixed telephone lines: 1995: 12.0 million — 2001: 34.7 million
   [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * number of new fixed telephone lines December 2005: 460,000 [IndiaDaily; Jan 2006]
 - * number of telephone lines per telecom staff: 1991: 15.6 — 1999: 63.0
   [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * annual growth of operational telephone lines: 19.4 % during 1995-2000
   [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * fixed line tele-density in India = number of main telephone lines per 100
   inhabitants: 1991: 0.6 — 2002: 3.83 — 2005: 4.25 [FL; Aug 2005]
 - * number of main villages covered by telephone network 2001: 0.4 million (of
   0.6 million main villages in total) [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * number of main villages covered by private sector telephone network 2001: 718
   (the rest covered by public sector) [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * percentage of digital main telephone lines: 1995: 87 % — 1999: 99.8 %
   [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * number of PCOs (Public Call Offices): 1993: 0.2 million — 2001: 0.9 million
   [v2020; Apr 2003]
 
 Statistics on Internet in India
 - * number of Internet users in India: 2004: 25 million — Nov 2005: 38.5 million
   [HT, Jan 2006]
 - * number of internet subscribers in India: 6.13 million [IndiaDaily; Jan 2006]
 - * Broadband subscribers in India: 835,000 [IndiaDaily; Jan 2006]
 - * target of high-speed Internet users by end of 2005: 3 million (not achieved)
   [IndiaDaily; Jan 2006]
 - * price for BB (available from): 199 Rs per month [HT; Jan 2006]
 - * previous numbers of Internet users in India: 1992: 1,000 — 1995: 250,000 –
   1999: 2.8 mil — 2000: 5.0 mil [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * Internet users per 100 inhabitants: 2004: 1.5 [GTF; 2005]
 - * Internet users per 100 inhabitants: 2001: 0.68 [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * number of travel related web searches by Indians during xmas & New Year
   period 2005: 8 million, estimate [Business Standard, Dec 2005]
 - * percentage of Internet users who access government services via internet:
   2001: 22 % — 2002: 31 % [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * PC availability per 100 inhabitants in 2004: 1.2 [GTF; 2005]
 - * number of computers in India: 1992: 0.4 mil — 1995: 1.2 mil — 1999: 3.3 mil –
   2000: 4.6 mil [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * number of internet cafes in India: 105,000 [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 - * number of jobs created in Internet cafes: 600,000 estimate [v2020; Apr 2003]
 - * annual growth in cybercafe market in India: 45 % (average over past 5 years)
   [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 - * estimated number of computerised bank branches: 12,000 (out of a total of 45,000)
   [v2020; Apr 2003]
 
 Statistics on e-commerce and online shopping
 - * estimated value of total e-commerce market: 1,180 crore (11.8 billion) Rs
   [HT; Jan 2006]
 - * estimated prognosis of growth of e-commerce market by 2006-07: 2,300 crore
   (23 billion) Rs [HT; Jan 2006]
 - * turnover in online shopping between Dussehra and Diwali 2005 (13/10 – 03/11/05):
   Rs 115 crore (excluding travel related transactions) [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 - * turnover in online shopping between Dussehra and Diwali 2004: Rs 53 crore
   excluding travel related transactions) [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 - * number of e-commerce transactions between Dussehra and Diwali: 2005: 810,000
   online sales — 2004: 345,000 online sales (excl travel related) [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 - * total online shopping revenue 2004: Rs 570 crore (of this 63% travel related)
   [ConSu; Nov 2005]
 
data sources & key:
HT: Hindustan Times, ITo: India Today, ToI: Times of India, BBC online,
GWR: Guinness World Records, Nature PBS, CIA Factbook India,
Britannica 2002, censusindia.net, IndiaDaily, BSNL: BSNL Telecom Trends, BSt: Business Standard, The Tribune, v2020: Vision 2020 report (pdf), FL: Frontline, Sify: Sify Broadband, PhysOrg, ConSu: Content Sutra