The Internet in India: An update
| Date | 01 June 1997 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045601 |
| Pages | 485-494 |
| Published date | 01 June 1997 |
| Author | S. Subba Rao |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
The Internet in India: an update
S.
Subba Rao
Scientist, Information Sciences Area, Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar,
Chennai (Madras) 600 020, India
E-mail: ssrao@csclri.ren.nic.in
Abstract:
The
Internet has existed in
India
for about
18
months.
An
attempt has been made here
to
give
infor-
mation
about
India's Internet service providers
and
information
infrastructure,
and
to
group the Internet
infor-
mation sources originating from India
into
various
categories:
viz.
art,
business,
campus wide information
sys-
tems,
companies
and
organisations,
data and
software,
directories,
discussion
lists/forums,
electronic
jour-
nals,
e-mail
based
infoservers,
entertainment,
investment,
medical,
multimedia,
multipurpose,
online
infor-
mation,
religion and
tourism.
The
paper
also
discusses the Internet in the social and
commercial
context of
India
and
concludes
with India's rapid
response
in providing its
resources
over
the
Net to
establish
its pres-
ence,
the growth
of
Web
sites,
privatisation
of
access,
and
PC penetration
in the
SOHO
and
home
segment.
1. Introduction
The Internet is an open, non-proprietary computer
communications infrastructure that reaches every
corner of the globe, carries information on possibly
every topic and is accessed by users at all hours.
There is a variety of user services available on the
Internet — some Internet-wide and some within a
specific user community. The popular services are:
electronic
mail,
mailing lists, file transfers, remote
login,
information access, remote computing and
multimedia services. For the first time, the Internet
has managed the impossible task of breaking down
barriers between countries and people. The objec-
tive of this paper is to highlight the better known
Indian sites under broad groups.
2. Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
The Internet has only recently come into developing
countries: for public usage in India this was
in
August
1995 through the efforts of Videsh Sanchar Nigam
Ltd (VSNL), the country's official telecommunica-
tions carrier. According to several analysts at the
recent 'Wired into Asia' conference in San Jose,
California, the Internet market in India is still at the
embryonic stage with 70 000 users and one ISP for
commercial
usage.
In
Asia,
the Internet market is still
growing at the rate of 600% per year with China
accounting for half its growth (100 000 users and 30
ISPs): the leading players include Japan (1 500 000
users and 1300 ISPs), South Korea (730 000 users
and 15 ISPs), Hong Kong (250 000 users and 90
ISPs) and Singapore (105 000 users and three
ISPs), due to an advanced information infrastructure
and forward looking, proactive Government policy.
The early networks in India were mainly based on
terrestrial lines whereas the recent ones are in satel-
lite
mode.
The major ISPs in India are:
(1) Education and Research Network (ERNET):
based on terrestrial lines and VSATs, serving
more than 50 000 users from 600 organisations
with non-commercial access;
(2) National Informatics Network (NICNET): main-
ly satellite based, exclusively for government
organisations, allows up to 2.2 Mbps and cov-
ers 850 centres including 650 organisations;
(3) Gateway Internet Access Service (GIAS) of
VSNL: based on terrestrial lines and satellite
with a user base of 15 000;
(4) SOFTNET: mainly satellite based and serves
the requirements of six 100% export-oriented
Software Technology Parks (STPs) (Rao
1996).
In the area of Internet connectivity, VSNL's hold is
about 95% and all ISPs have to go through its gate-
way. VSNL has formed a strategic alliance with the
public sector Computer Maintenance Corporation
(CMC) and Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC) to
create and style media and business opportunities
on the Internet for Indian business houses. Under
this venture, VSNL will provide an Internet Web site
to enable Indian companies to upload their informa-
tion for exploring global opportunities, and set up a
cybercity in Mumbai that facilitates Netsurfing, down-
loading data, creation of home pages, news from a
corporate databank, and information on culture, her-
itage and edutainment.
2.1.
Information infrastructure in India
The existing information infrastructure in India is
very poor in comparison with other countries like
Singapore, which boasts a ratio of two computers to
The Electronic Library, Vol. 15, No. 6, December 1997 485
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