The number of internet subscribers has swelled by 7 percent in the one-year period from mid-Aug 2013 to mid-Aug 2014, pushing the country’s internet penetration rate up to 19.32 percent. The growth is catalysed by increased demand for services like GPRS, ADSL, wireless, and optical fibre data services. Rising demand for data service and stiff market competition has compelled internet service providers (ISPs) to come up with newer schemes at competitive prices to attract customers. The growth in the number of data users is attributed to easy access to GPRS service, decreasing tariff, availability of cheaper smartphones and increasing ICT knowledge among the new generation. Even though the growth in overall internet service subscription is high, people are shying away from dial-up data service, which is slow compared to wireless and optical fibre services.The growth in the number of data users is attributed to easy access to GPRS service, decreasing tariff, availability of cheaper smartphones and increasing ICT knowledge among the new generation. Even though the growth in overall internet service subscription is high, people are shying away from dial-up data service, which is slow compared to wireless and optical fibre services.
