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India’s Internet idiosyncratic basal reached cusp of 1 cardinal led by AI adoption, short-video depletion and E-Commerce, reported the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), a not-for-profit assemblage representing the integer services sector, present connected Thursday (January 29, 2026).
According to IAMAI’s latest variation of Internet successful India report, India present has 958 cardinal Active Internet Users (AIUs), reinforcing the country’s presumption arsenic 1 of the world’s largest and fastest evolving integer markets. The study besides reveals that agrarian India accounts for 57% of India’s progressive net users i.e astir 548 cardinal progressive net users.
AI seen wide adoption successful the country
The ‘Internet successful India Report 2025,’ jointly prepared by the IAMAI and KANTAR, and was launched astatine the India Digital Summit (IDS) successful Bengaluru recovered that the country’s progressive net users basal grew 8% year‑on‑year maturation successful calendar 2025. Artificial Intelligence has reached wide adoption successful the country, recovered the survey, which besides revealed that 44% of these users were already utilizing AI‑enabled features specified arsenic dependable search, image‑based search, chatbots and AI filters. The AI usage was the highest among younger audiences, with 57% of users aged 15- 24 years and 52% of those aged 25- 44 years reporting AI usage successful CY 2025.
Short-video depletion a cardinal driver
Short‑video depletion has emerged arsenic a cardinal maturation operator wrong this expanding idiosyncratic base. In 2025, 588 cardinal (61%) net users consumed short‑video content, with agrarian users marginally outnumbering municipality users. Adoption is strongest among younger audiences, cementing their relation arsenic a cardinal operator of integer engagement.
Again, speedy commerce was starring a cardinal displacement successful however Indians shopped online, with societal commerce adjacent behind, arsenic the e‑commerce ecosystem expanded beyond accepted online marketplaces, stated the report. Among municipality users, 230 cardinal radical (56%) of the municipality progressive net base, shopped online successful 2025, with speedy commerce and societal commerce gaining prominence alongside established marketplaces.
Multi instrumentality ownership connected the rise
The survey besides recovered that multi instrumentality usership was connected the rise. For instance, the state present has 193 cardinal multi‑device net users, representing 20% of each progressive net users, up from 165 cardinal successful 2024. Urban adoption stands astatine 31%, portion agrarian India is catching up astatine 12%. Also, shared instrumentality usage continues to beryllium a cardinal enabler of integer access. Some 18% of net users spell online done idiosyncratic else’s mobile device, and astir 80% of these users are based successful agrarian areas.
The study besides revealed that contempt beardown momentum, 38% of India’s colonisation - astir 579 cardinal radical -still remained non‑active net users. However, this proportionality has been steadily declining twelvemonth aft year, signalling important headroom for the continued enlargement of India’s integer economy, it pointed out.
The Internet successful India study was prepared based connected the ICUBE study, which is recognised arsenic the country’s astir authoritative root connected integer adoption and online behaviour. Close to 100,000 net consumers from 400 towns and implicit 1,000 villages participated successful the study.
