It wouldn't be too wrong to say that the internet has become more of a utility than a luxury. Already if you look around an average household, you'll probably see 4-5 devices connected to the internet. And we're well on our way to a time when that number becomes per person. 29th October is International Internet Day, and we bring to you some of the most amazing things you didn't know about it.
It all started on 14 August 1995, when VSNL launched the first publicly available internet service. The speed was 9.6kbit/s and was priced at a hefty Rs.5600 for 250 hours approx. The next ten years didn't see much change with 56kbit/s dial-up connections being the only option for most of us. Today, we have connection speeds up to 100Mbit/s available.
The constantly increasing need for Internet and connectivity is mainly fueled by advancements in platforms that can consume it, be it smartphones and their every increasing capabilities, IoT or Virtual Reality. In fact, in a survey conducted by Tata Communications, 64% of those surveyed believe that the internet has an infinite capacity to support new technology.
The advent of Jio in India has definitely started a price race among the leading telecommunication providers. Even if we ignore the Welcome offer, Jio promises to bring 4G, the highest mobile spectrum in India right now, within the grasp of every Indian.
The Internet has played no small role in the startup revolution that India has been witnessing. Everything from cabs to food, groceries to health care, banking to fashion is now right in the hands of an average smartphone user.
On the other hand, the average Indian user is becoming increasingly dependent on the Internet. According to the survey mentioned earlier, 33% more Indian men, compared to Indian women, were willing to give up sex for the Internet! When it comes to the global level, alcohol is the victim with 28% willing to give it up.
Globally, about a quarter of the population surveyed by Tata Communications does not know where the internet resides, whereas the same statistic for India shows a better number at 10%. Similarly, 30% Indians know that sub-sea cables are the fastest internet delivery method, compared to a 19% globally.
The average internet speed as of October 2016 in India is a mere 3.576Mbit/s, with the peak average being 26.142Mbit/s. In this very year, the Government has proposed to raise the minimum broadband internet speed to 2Mbit/s. Undeniably, Internet speeds are improving.
Over 1/4th of India's population is connected to the internet, with only half that number connected via broadband. That is an expected number, with the number of ISPs in the country being 138 as of March 2016.
In 2015, India saw a widespread public debate over Net Neutrality in the country. Back then, the country had no rules governing the same and some providers were taking advantage of the fact. But in February 2016, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has banned differential pricing in the country.
Some of the main data centres in the country-
1) BSNL Internet Data Centers, in collaboration with Dimension Data
2) Trimax IT Infrastructure & Services Limited - Tier III data centres in Mumbai and Bengaluru
3) Sify Technologies Limited
4) Tata Communications Limited
5) Netmagic Solutions
6) Reliance Datacenter
As of May 2014, the Internet was delivered to India mainly by 9 different undersea fibres, including SEA-ME-WE 3, Bay of Bengal Gateway and Europe India Gateway, arriving at 5 different landing points.
“In 2006, there were ‘just’ 2 billion connected objects. In 2020, there will be 50 billion – so around 7 smart objects for every human being on earth. it is, therefore, fair to say that for many people the Internet has simply become a utility like electricity or gas – which we tend to take for granted”, says David Eden, Future Technologist and Product Innovator, Tata Communications.
He adds, “Any new addition to the technology puts extra pressure on the world’s networks not just in terms of the volume of connections but also in bandwidth. That is why we need to see investments in very low-latency and high-output last-mile networks to ensure the Internet won’t buckle under the pressure of ever-growing volumes of data.”
As we have seen with the numbers, internet in India is growing manifolds as we speak, both in terms of bandwidth as well as usage volume. And with initiatives in Make in India and Startup India, internet and India are definitely going places together.