Rediff On The Net, Infotech: Only 9 per cent of PC owners are on the Net


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June 15, 1999

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Only 9 per cent of PC owners are on the Net

Merely 9 per cent of households owning personal computers have access to the Internet in India.

However, there is a high level of awareness about the Internet and its utility, according to a survey by the International Data Corporation.

Awareness about Internet is evident from the fact that among current non-users, about 37 per cent have indicated plans to have access to the Internet soon.

T O D A Y

• APSWAN launched
• 'Don't wait for e-laws'
• IDC survey
• APC unit in Bangalore

According to the survey, over half of the households who currently do not have a PC, plan to buy one soon. They also intend to have an Internet connection then. Of these, about 23 per cent plan to acquire their Net connection along with the PC.

The survey reveals that the usage of Internet is not restricted to a single user in a household. About 90 per cent have indicated that over one member of the family used Internet at home.

Multiple users in home can be attributed to different applications and purposes of Internet use.

'It has been observed that almost equal proportion of adult son / daughter and male head of the household emerged as the heaviest users of Internet,' the survey says.

Nevertheless, the teenager segment constitutes nearly 9 per cent of the primary / heavy users.

Near universal presence of cable TV among Internet homes assumes significance because certain technology is available for providing Internet connection using cables to home.

Internet has emerged as a medium for communication in almost all Internet homes (97 per cent). The second most important reason for using Internet has been found to be entertainment and recreation (63 per cent). Besides, nearly half of the Internet homes use the medium for education.

In future, 'edutainment' would fuel higher Internet usage in homes, the survey predicts.

The phenomenon of online shopping, which at present is experienced by nearly a fifth of Internet homes, is slated to grow significantly in the days to come, the survey claims.

UNI

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