India’s Internet user base to cross 900 mn by 2023: Cisco

According to the latest Cisco Annual Internet Report, India will have over 907 million Internet users by 2023, accounting for 64 per cent of the population. In India, devices and connections are growing faster (7 per cent CAGR) than the population (1.0 per cent CAGR). This trend is accelerating the increase in the average number of devices and connections per household and per capita. Each year, various new devices in different form factors with increased capabilities and intelligence are introduced and adopted in the market. A growing number of M2M applications, such as smart meters, video surveillance, healthcare monitoring, transportation, and package or asset tracking, are contributing in a major way to the growth of devices and connections. By 2023, M2M connections will be 25 per cent of the total devices and connections. 

For the past 50 years, each decade introduced a new mobile technology with cutting-edge innovations. Mobile bandwidth requirements have evolved from voice calls and texting to ultra-high-definition (UHD) video and a variety of augmented reality/ virtual reality (AR/VR) applications. Consumers and business users worldwide continue to create new demands and expectations for mobile networking. This ongoing trend is clearly highlighted by the adoption and use of mobile applications. Social networking, video streaming and downloads, business productivity, e-commerce, and gaming will drive the continued growth of mobile applications, with nearly 46.2 billion downloaded by 2023. 

“As digital literacy, mobile penetration, and Internet connectivity grow deeper into the hinterland, a massive shift will be created in Internet usage and consumption patterns across the country. This rise in connectivity and changing consumption patterns will challenge service providers’ ability to service their customers in an optimal manner. Flatter and more secure networks leveraging cloud and edge computing, as well as automation to manage the ever-expanding network, is essential for them to keep pace in the digital world. Service providers and enterprises will continue on the journey towards software-defined everything and edge computing to lower their overall cost per bit and provide the best customer experience,” said Anand Bhaskar, Managing Director, Service Providers Sales, Cisco India and SAARC. 

Cisco Annual Internet Report Highlights (2018 – 2023) 

The Cisco Annual Internet Report covers mobile, and fixed broadband networking with quantitative projections on the growth of users, devices, and connections as well as network performance and relevant trends over a five-year forecast period (2018 - 2023). 

India mobile and internet user projections by 2023

• In India, there will be 907 million total Internet users (64% of population) by 2023, up from 398 million (29% of population) in 2018.
• In India, there will be 966 million total mobile users (68% of population) by 2023, up from 763 million (56% of population) in 2018.
• 66% of the global population (5.3 billion people) will be Internet users by 2023. 

India devices and connections projections by 2023

• In India, there will be 2.1 billion networked devices by 2023, up from 1.5 billion in 2018, (7% CAGR)
• In India, there will be 1.4 billion mobile connected devices by 2023, up from 1.1 billion in 2018 (4.2% CAGR).
• In India, there will be 697.4 million wired/Wi-Fi connected devices by 2023, up from 359.8 million in 2018 (14.2% CAGR).
• In India, M2M modules will account for 25% (524.3 million) of all networked devices by 2023, compared to 12% (175.0 million) in 2018, (24.5% CAGR).
• In India, smartphones will account for 38% (781.0 million) of all networked devices by 2023, compared to 42% (610.9 million) in 2018 (5% CAGR).
• In India, connected TVs will account for 12% (255.8 million) of all networked devices by 2023, compared to 10% (152.2 million) in 2018, (10.9% CAGR).
• In India, 78% of all networked devices will be in the consumer segment by 2023, compared to 83% in 2018. 22% of all networked devices will be in the business segment. 

India mobile projections by 2023

• 66% of all networked devices will be mobile-connected (3G and below, 4G, 5G, or Low Power Wide Area [LPWA]).
• There will be 67.2 million total 5G connections by 2023 (4.9%), One in 20 connections will be 5G.
• 4G connections will be 53.1% of total mobile connections by 2023, 2-fold from 2018.
• 3G and below connections will be 38.7% of total mobile connections. 

India Mobile Applications by 2023

• In India, there will be 46.2 billion mobile applications downloaded by 2023, up from 20.7 billion mobile applications in 2018 (17.4% CAGR).
• There will be 17.8 billion social networking, messaging, media, productivity, and e-commerce mobile applications downloaded by 2023, up from 9.2 billion mobile applications in 2018 (14.1% CAGR).
• 5 billion gaming mobile applications downloaded by 2023, up from 6.4 billion mobile applications in 2018 (10.5% CAGR).
• 9 billion applications in other category (including business) mobile applications downloaded by 2023, up from 5.2 billion mobile applications in 2018 (28.3% CAGR). 

Cisco Annual Internet Report Forecast

The Cisco Annual Internet Report is a global, regional, and country-level forecast/ analysis that assesses digital transformation and is developed by the same analyst team that created the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast. The report covers fixed broadband, Wi-Fi, and mobile (3G and below, 4G, 5G) networking. Quantitative projections are provided on the growth of Internet users, devices, and connections as well as network performance and new application requirements. Qualitative analyses and assessments are also provided in four strategic areas: applications, security, infrastructure transformation, and empowering employees and teams.