Internet in Indian language can create 200 million, new users

With an opportunity to access the internet, in a language of their choice, would have helped over 200 million, Indians to become digitalized.

Having internet users of around 481 million, India has about second highest internet user base in the world, only after China. It is expected to have around 500 million users, by June 2018.

Internet in Indic language is to be the key motivator, for about 23 percent, of Internet non-users to become digitalized, as per a not for profit industry body, Internet and Mobile Association of India and also Market Research firm Kantar IMRB. 

The internet in the Indic language is the key motivator for about 23 percent of Internet non-users, to become digitalized.

The internet services that are critical, like digital payments, basic e-commerce, online job search etc are all limited because of lack of ease for conducting such activities in the language of choice.

Its findings are on the basis of 60,000 individuals, across 170 cities, and towns and 15,000 individuals in 750 villages.

The Mandarin script has helped China to achieve the highest number of Internet users globally so much that it is the second most popular language on the internet after English.  

The Indic content, in contrast, accounts for barely 0.1 percent of worldwide internet content. But for the realization of Digital India vision, the country must develop an Indic Internet ecosystem, thus raising the internet adoption, and also promoting the digital empowerment, of the socio-economically weaker section, of the population.

If we offer access to the internet over in more Indian languages, then it is really helpful to bridge the rural-urban digital divide.

Up to December 2017, the internet penetration in urban India is 64.84 percent compared to 20.26 percent in the rural areas.

As per the findings of the report, there has been a relatively higher amount of Indic content consumption, in rural India while in urban India around 66 percent of the internet users are accessing the Internet in the Indic language.

Having a total of 22 languages, that are currently spoken, on the regular basis, it is easy to imagine why only English will be the best choice.