ONI Country Profi le
301
indicate that they are not aware of the Internet.
2 Language is another obstacle to using
the Internet. Although there are 22 primary regional languages in India, most online
content is in English, a language only 11 percent of the population speaks.
3 With
approximately 61 million Internet users, India has an overall Internet penetration rate
of 5.1 percent. However, its Internet subscription rate is low, at only 1.3 percent.
4
Most Indians who access the Internet do so from Internet caf é s. Home and work
connections and school access points are less popular. Most Internet users in the
country are male, middle-class, and young.
5 Almost half of the country ’ s users are
online at least four to six times per week.
6
As of December 2009, approximately 370 Internet service providers (ISPs) were
licensed to operate in the country.
7 According to an offi cial Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India report, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar
Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) were the market leaders, holding 57.84 percent and
13.81 percent of the market share respectively in June 2010.
8 In the mid-1980s, two
state-owned corporations were formed to provide limited telecom services: Videsh
Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) for international long distance and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) for Mumbai and Delhi. In 1995, VSNL became the fi rst
to provide Internet services to the country. In April 2002, the government authorized
ISPs to offer Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services.
9
In January 2007, the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) announced that
it would install fi ltering mechanisms at India ’ s international gateways. The head of
the Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) said that these new “ landing
stations ” would be able to block both specifi c Web sites at the subdomain level and
unauthorized VoIP telephone systems.
10
Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
India guarantees freedom of speech and expression in its constitution but reserves the
authority to impose restrictions in the interests of national sovereignty, state security,
foreign relations, public order, decency, and morality.
11 Each form of media — print,
fi lm, and television — is governed by its own regulatory apparatus. For example, print
media are regulated by a board of press and government offi cials,
12 while fi lms are
regulated by a board appointed wholly by the government.
13 Private FM radio stations
were legalized in 2000, but none of them are allowed to broadcast news or current
affairs. The state continues to retain control over all AM radio stations.
14
Until the late 1990s, the Indian government had control over all aspects of the
telecommunications sector: policy, regulation, and operations.
15 The new Internet
policy introduced in November 1998 allowed private companies to become ISPs and
either lease transmission network capacity or build their own, thereby ending the
monopoly over domestic long-distance networks of the Department of Telecoms.
301
indicate that they are not aware of the Internet.
2 Language is another obstacle to using
the Internet. Although there are 22 primary regional languages in India, most online
content is in English, a language only 11 percent of the population speaks.
3 With
approximately 61 million Internet users, India has an overall Internet penetration rate
of 5.1 percent. However, its Internet subscription rate is low, at only 1.3 percent.
4
Most Indians who access the Internet do so from Internet caf é s. Home and work
connections and school access points are less popular. Most Internet users in the
country are male, middle-class, and young.
5 Almost half of the country ’ s users are
online at least four to six times per week.
6
As of December 2009, approximately 370 Internet service providers (ISPs) were
licensed to operate in the country.
7 According to an offi cial Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India report, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar
Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) were the market leaders, holding 57.84 percent and
13.81 percent of the market share respectively in June 2010.
8 In the mid-1980s, two
state-owned corporations were formed to provide limited telecom services: Videsh
Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) for international long distance and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) for Mumbai and Delhi. In 1995, VSNL became the fi rst
to provide Internet services to the country. In April 2002, the government authorized
ISPs to offer Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services.
9
In January 2007, the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) announced that
it would install fi ltering mechanisms at India ’ s international gateways. The head of
the Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) said that these new “ landing
stations ” would be able to block both specifi c Web sites at the subdomain level and
unauthorized VoIP telephone systems.
10
Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
India guarantees freedom of speech and expression in its constitution but reserves the
authority to impose restrictions in the interests of national sovereignty, state security,
foreign relations, public order, decency, and morality.
11 Each form of media — print,
fi lm, and television — is governed by its own regulatory apparatus. For example, print
media are regulated by a board of press and government offi cials,
12 while fi lms are
regulated by a board appointed wholly by the government.
13 Private FM radio stations
were legalized in 2000, but none of them are allowed to broadcast news or current
affairs. The state continues to retain control over all AM radio stations.
14
Until the late 1990s, the Indian government had control over all aspects of the
telecommunications sector: policy, regulation, and operations.
15 The new Internet
policy introduced in November 1998 allowed private companies to become ISPs and
either lease transmission network capacity or build their own, thereby ending the
monopoly over domestic long-distance networks of the Department of Telecoms.