Next century belongs to Mobile Internet
The past decade of Internet usage saw users leaping from 400 million to two billion, but the next decade will belong to mobile users, said N. Chandrasekharan, CEO, Tata Consultancy Services.
Moderating a panel discussion on 'Universal, Inclusive World Wide Web (WWW) - The Next Frontier', as part of the 20 {+t} {+h} International World Wide Web Conference here on Tuesday, he said that focus will be on bridging the gap between those using internet on desk and laptops and those accessing it on their mobiles.
The number of Internet users on mobile phones was currently estimated at 5.3 billion, he said by way of illustration.
The exponential growth, in the number of users, apart; leveraging mobile Internet access to its fullest potential would be the focus. Challenges that would have to be faced in taking the web to the next frontier included cost, access and the language barriers, apart from security and privacy issues being the major constraints that needed to be overcome.
Mr. Chandrasekharan also mentioned how the social media was increasingly playing a dynamic role, recalling how, apparently casual, posts left on Twitter and Facebook were triggering events even on the government side and leading to controversies.
Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO & MD, Infosys said that lots of changes had taken place since the browser came into being in 1993. By 2020, about 50 to 60 billion devices and appliances would be connected through the web and they would drive a significant innovation, he said.
He said that strides would be made in mobile banking too. He also said that transaction costs needed to be brought down, apart from putting an entirely different computers system in place.
This was possible, he said, taking the example of how the reducing costs of mobile handsets and calling rates had led to increasing number of people using phones.
Initiatives N. Ravishankar, Joint Secretary CEO, NIXI National Internet Exchange of India, outlined initiatives being taken by the Government of India and explained the different programmes and schemes being implemented in health, education and public service sectors.
Deepak Phatak, an academician from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, said that a majority of students were still reading in their native languages. Innovation was required to deliver content right from the school-level, he said.