The number of internet users in rural India is expected to rise 45 million by 2012, according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB (Indian Market Research Bureau).

In the new I-Cube report expects the number of inter users to rise significantly in the country. The recorded internet users are those users who accessed the Internet at least once in their lifetime. The IAMAI claimed that the number of internet users in rural India has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 73 percent.

The number of rural internet users had grown 2.6 percent in 2010 to 4.6 percent in 2012. The penetration of internet in rural population rose from 2.13 percent in 2010 to 3.7 percent in 2012. It is believed that the number of claimed rose to 38 million and 31 million of them are active internet users.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg, in the next two years, a combination of affordable smart phones, optic fibre backbone and local language content is likely to change the beat all projections of internet growth in rural areas,” says Dr. Subho Ray, President of IAMAI.