Technology

Drivers of the Indian mobile revolution

Indian is currently seeing a mobile revolution taking place. This revolution is fuelled by the ongoing innovations in the mobile industry as well as the unending competition between smartphone brands which doesn’t appear to be stopping. It is expected that India will have 781 million mobile users by 2021.

All these facts point to one thing- India has become a truly mobile-first nation! Based on a report from Comscore, up to 84% of 169 million mobile phone users accessing the internet. Also, 87% of internet time from India, was through mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones monthly; hence, rendering about 70% of the entire digital populace in India to be “mobile only”. When compared with countries such as the USA which polled at 12%, or the U.K which polled at 7%, this data shows that India has a higher level of smartphone usage.

Looking at this info, you might get surprised and wonder why India is at the top when it comes to mobile users. You might even consider that it may be as a result of the Indian population which numbers up to 1.339 billion. However, if it’s a competition of numbers, then China which is the most populous country in the world with 1.386 billion persons should take the first place. What this means then, is that there are certain factors which India has taken,
and which have propelled their ongoing mobile revolution.

1. Affordability
This is the first factor. It follows basic logic. When goods are more affordable, they tend to be more used. This has worked precisely in India, with the smartphone competition from a variety of brands, such as Apple, Samsung, Sony, Oppo, Xiaomi and more, the price is a main player and the users are the main beneficiaries. Therefore, users can easily find mobile phones under ₹7,000. Also, this is even made better with the reasonably priced data plans
which ensure smartphone users have easy access to the internet.

2. Young Online Demographic
Now, this is where population comes to play. As mentioned above, India is a populous country with up to 1.339 billion persons. However, what places it ahead of China in terms of the mobile revolution is that of all the internet users within India, about 75% of its users are currently 35 years of age and below. Therefore, India possesses more of a youthful online population; in fact, compared to other countries, this online population can be regarded as
the youngest in the world.

3. Emergence of new apps
With more advancements in technology, there are also newer and more engaging apps emerging daily. With these mobile apps, life is made more convenient for the targeted younger online population in India. It is now really easy to order food, find transportation, study any course online or rent a flat via apps. A few years ago, the same demographic had to go through a greater length to acquire these services, as they were all offline. In addition, today’s mobile apps also allow people to to things that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. For example, apps and mobile friendly sites providing online betting can now easily be accessed on smartphones. Indian laws do not favour betting, but with the help of online sportsbooks, it is easy to circumvent these obstacles. The emergence of these apps are more likely to make India a mobile-first nation.

4. Mobile ecosystem development
The final driver of the mobile revolution can be linked to the favourable environment for mobile development in India. For instance, there are certain positive schemes from the government which have been beneficial, such as the Digital India mission which aids and promotes innovation.

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