Internet propels business fortunes, innovation
The report ‘The Future of Internet in India' released on Wednesday by the National Association of Software & Services Companies (NASSCOM) in partnership with Akamai Technologies Inc has indicated the sharp rise of internet users in India. Interestingly, this report brings home the fact that there will be a growth of 75 per cent of total netizens who will primarily be hailing from the rural populace. Indeed, this report which was aimed to understand the impact of the internet on the way we live, learn, work, shop and connect underlines how the net machine is affecting our people right down to the villages and how internet is increasingly become a tool, that is widely governing our lives. By focusing on the future trends that will change the landscape of India in 2020, the report highlights the growing trend of the use of the local languages in internet which in turn reflects a new net culture wherein our very own indigenous languages have become glocal. The high rate of rural net users will help showcasing their local roots by sharing numerous traits of our rich heritage of culture, traditions and history to the global community. Above all, the rise of the netizens, have made India a potential hub for e-commerce market, which was valued at $17 billion in 2015-16 will be expected to double to $34 billion by 2020. As the online shopping community will be increased from a mere 50 million in 2015 to more than triple to 175 million by 2020, this will have a large impact on the expansion of the market and this indirectly boosts the country's employment opportunity in a massive way. Today, the internet is mostly accessed through the smart phones across the rural areas as it is cheaper than having a bigger machine like that of a computer or laptop. The NASSCOM report predicts that by 2020 India will have an estimated 702 million smart phones in use and mobile phones will emerge as the preferred device for shopping, accounting for 70 per cent of total online shopping hints at a huge market for cell phone companies, particularly the cheaper ones manufactured by our local entrepreneurs.
The start-up ecosystem, accompanied by the latest Government initiatives has contributed a big way in making internet accessible for a large population across the country. With the rise of the digital natives and the increased adoption of smart gadgets, the penetration of internet beyond the urban centres will be on a high in the next five years. Undeniably, this will be a great opportunity for the enterprises to harness the power of the internet and scale operations, from cities to the villages, marshalling cross-cultural boundaries. The report must be taken seriously by all stakeholders including the Government. Hope it brings a sigh of relief to especially the millions of educated unemployed youth who are on job search. It will open a plethora of avenues, provided there is a public-private partnership in the days to come.