India will see its number of internet users triple to 237 million from the

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current 81 million by 2015, according to a report.

In a study titled ‘Internet’s New Billion’, the Boston Consulting Group said Brazil, Russia, India, China and Indonesia (BRICI) will have more than 1.2 billion internet users by 2015 - well over three times the number of internet users in Japan and the US combined.

In 2009, the BRICI countries had some 610 million Internet users.

“Internet penetration rates in the BRICI countries will experience compound annual growth of nine to 20 per cent from 2009-2015, driven predominantly by young users who will form the digital-market eco-systems that will be in place for generations to come,” the management consulting firm said.

With BRICI countries constituting many of the world’s most populous nations, “it may come as little surprise that their digital-consumer ranks will swell so quickly,” the report added.

Describing India as a “low-maturity and high growth market”, BCG said Internet penetration rate in India is expected to reach 19% by 2015, up from the current 7%.

For India, the next big growth opportunity should emerge from the rural market where penetration of mobile phones is far less than in urban markets, which have already begun to show signs of saturation.