Mumbai leads the pack of top eight Internet-using metros in India with 2.6 million active users, followed by Delhi with 1.80 million active users. Surprisingly, Kolkata (1.05 million active users) is ahead of tech centers such as Bangalore (0.97 million) and Hyderabad (0.95 million).

According to the Internet in India (I-Cube) 2006 report, the number of active Internet users in India stood at 25 million in the month of September 2006. "Active user" is defined as someone who has used the Internet at least once in the last 30 days.

• Mumbai--2.6 mil


• Delhi--1.80 mil


• Kolkata--1.05 mil


• Chennai--1.26 mil


• Bangalore--0.97 mil


• Hyderabad--0.95 mil


• Ahmedabad--0.59 mil


• Pune--0.92 mil

Main Internet access point for top eight towns

In terms of access points, more than 30 percent of Internet users in India access it from home, while 50 percent of users in non-metros access the Internet from cybercafes. The proportion of users accessing the Internet from home is the highest in Hyderabad and lowest in Pune. The proportion of users accessing from offices is highest in Mumbai and lowest in Hyderabad. Cybercafes continue to be the most important access point in Pune and Bangalore, except in Bangalore where access from schools continues to be dismal.

Some interesting trends on usage have emerged from the report.

Main online applications used across top eight metros

Information search is the single-largest activity in non-metros, followed by email. Is it the student population in the non-metros who are using the Internet for educational purposes? The report notes that almost 40 percent of the Internet users are school/college-going students.

The proportion of Internet users accessing the Net mainly for financial or business information is high in Mumbai, the commercial captial of India. This explains the higher proportion of office access from Mumbai.

I had expected jobs and matrimonials to take a higher share of Internet usage. The proportion of users accessing the Internet mainly for jobs and matrimony is highest in non-metros.

Even after 10-plus years of the Internet in India, the top two applications are the basics--email and search. No wonder Rediff and Yahoo India are still advertising "faster email and better search" in their latest ad campaigns. But if the Internet has to become part of the digital lifestyle of Indian users, the usage needs to spread more to utilities and leisure applications. Untill then, let's wait for the tipping point.