In the recent years, the Indian Internet market has grown tremendously in user base, e-commerce and online business and is expected to grow massively in the next few years. In this backdrop The Analyst invited eminent experts to share their perceptions.As the opportunities for e-commerce and online advertising are growing in India, it is attracting global Internet firms like MSN and Yahoo. Given this, do you think, India could emerge as a key market for the Internet business in the near future?

India is already a key market for Internet businesses. With the rapid growth in the Indian consumer market and world-class brands trying to attract the savvy Indian consumer, opportunities for global Internet firms are bound to grow. At the same time, these companies have to offer fresh and rich local content that will keep drawing visitors to their site. India has already become a very significant Internet economy. In 1999, the Indian Internet population was just around two million browsers, but a few months back it has crossed 50 million browsers, overtaking Germany. Only the US, China and Japan are ahead and by 2008, the Internet population is expected to touch 100 million and reach the top three in the world. This is also the reason why large global Internet players are coming and investing into India with an eye on the future.

Indian companies have been here much before the MNCs came along. Two of the oldest companies, Sify and Rediff.com have been listed on the Nasdaq long time back. Some other relatively older companies owned by Indians such as Shaadi.com (People Interactive Group), Naukri.com (Info Edge), Bharat matrimony, Indiatimes.com have been around many years. India is already a key market for Internet business and the business is being driven by rising Internet use in the country. Various statistics place India between 4 and 10 among nations in terms of use of Internet. Riding on these numbers are many businesses such as online retailing, gifts, jewelry, travel and tourism, matrimony, jobs, property and various other types of businesses.

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