New Delhi: Among the Indian women mobile internet users, house wives busy in text chatting and working women in social networking and browsing.

This is what found out by a study report titled ‘Mobile Internet in India 2017’ prepared by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) in association with MANTAR-IMRB.

“Working women have the highest propensity of social networking and browsing, while non-working women have the highest propensity for text chatting,” revealed the report.

It also revealed that mobile internet is predominantly used by youngsters, with 46 per cent of urban users and 57 per cent of rural users below the age of 25.

“Young students as the most prolific consumer of mobile internet services.”

Stating that the number of mobile internet users in India is estimated to touch 478 million by June 2018, the report said that the rise is due to  cheaper smartphones, faster connectivity and affordable services.

“The number of mobile internet users is estimated to reach 478 million by June 2018… Handset manufacturers have been producing more affordable smartphone/feature phones, while telecom service providers are now offering better connectivity at more affordable prices,” said the report.

It estimates 291 million urban mobile internet users, with 187 million rural users by June.

The number of mobile internet users stood at 456 million in December 2017, up by 17% compared to  December 2016.
“Urban India witnessed an estimated 18.64 per cent year-on-year rise, while rural India witnessed an estimated growth of 15.03 per cent during the same period,” the report said.

“Urban India has around twice the proportion of users over the age of 45, while the age range of 25 to 44 has almost equal distribution of users in urban and rural areas,” an IAMAI statement said detailing out the usage pattern across various age brackets.

The voice-related mobile spends have been coming down since 2013, and the popularity of Voice over IP (VoIP) and video chatting have further amplified this trend.