- Over 450 million Indians will be online by June
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
India's tech growth has been advancing quickly, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop.
The number of internet users in the country is expected to cross 450 million by midyear, according to The Economic Times, citing a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). That's an increase of about 30 million people in six months, the Association said.
Even though substantial numbers are becoming connected, there remain around a billion people in the country without an internet connection. Internet penetration in rural India is around 17 percent, the report said, though Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to address this, recently announcing plans to bring affordable, high-speed internet to 150,000 villages throughout the country.
Lately, the country's digital economy has been stronger than ever, following Modi's declaration that India's 500 and 1,000 rupee notes went obsolete last November. This drove Indians to mobile wallets, which let you pay for things with your phone, boosting local leader PayTM's user base to over 200 million .
India's growth has piqued the interest of many Western companies. Most recently, Facebook announced WhatsApp for Business, an app designed with India in mind, and Microsoft unveiled Skype Lite, a version of its popular service optimised for India's 2G connection speeds.
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Hindustan Times via Getty Images
India's tech growth has been advancing quickly, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop.
The number of internet users in the country is expected to cross 450 million by midyear, according to The Economic Times, citing a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). That's an increase of about 30 million people in six months, the Association said.
Even though substantial numbers are becoming connected, there remain around a billion people in the country without an internet connection. Internet penetration in rural India is around 17 percent, the report said, though Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to address this, recently announcing plans to bring affordable, high-speed internet to 150,000 villages throughout the country.
Lately, the country's digital economy has been stronger than ever, following Modi's declaration that India's 500 and 1,000 rupee notes went obsolete last November. This drove Indians to mobile wallets, which let you pay for things with your phone, boosting local leader PayTM's user base to over 200 million .
India's growth has piqued the interest of many Western companies. Most recently, Facebook announced WhatsApp for Business, an app designed with India in mind, and Microsoft unveiled Skype Lite, a version of its popular service optimised for India's 2G connection speeds.
Technically Literate: Original works of short fiction with unique perspectives on tech, exclusively on CNET.
Does the Mac still matter? Apple execs tell why the MacBook Pro was over four years in the making, and why we should care.
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