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Of all the businesses in India that have the resources to access the Internet, only 30 per cent actually own a Net connection at their premises.

This was revealed by an Indian Market Research Bureau study. The syndicated survey is the first of its kind on the Indian Internet market. Establishments with over 50 employees at their premises comprise over 40 per cent Internet penetration. Establishments where the principle activity is servicing are found to make up only 36 per cent of the Internet market, the study claims.

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Titled 'Internet in India', the survey is based on a user sample of 5,600 business establishments and 1,250 households in the top eight cities of the country.

This is for the first time that the PC owning community has been profiled in terms of activity and employee size at the premise, according to IMRB.

IMRB has been tracking PC penetration in businesses and homes through their end-user based syndicated series titled ITOPS, which for the first time has profiled PC owning businesses by variables such as 'activity' and 'employee size' at the premises.

"On an average, establishments use the Internet for around 16 hours a week. About 92 per cent of businesses with Internet use it for email, while downloading content comes a distinct second,'' says IMRB's Vice-President and General Manager, Business and Industrial Research Division, Bhupendra Mathur.

Nearly 38 per cent of the users complain of the connections snapping mid-way. There is also unhappiness about getting through the connection at particular times of the day, receiving viruses through executable files and receiving junk mail.

By virtue of this survey, first-time marketers like advertising agencies and Internet service providers alike can understand the existing market in India in terms of 'who uses', 'for what' and 'how'.

The study analyses current users by industry sector they belong to and cover Indian companies, multinationals, governments and government offices.

It indicates establishment size, principle activity at the premises and several other profiling variables. IMRB hopes that the ISPs would use the profiles to determine whom to focus on among non-users of the Net.

The study tries to link the penetration of the Internet with that of the PC, especially in the home segment where these complement each other as triggers for purchase.

- Compiled from the Indian media

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