To Get Online, Most Indians Go to Cyber Cafes

Anjana Pasricha, August 15, 2004 — VOA News Service

NEW DELHI — In India, cyber cafes are steadily gaining in popularity because few people own computers and Internet access is expensive. Internet usage in India remains limited even though the country is known as an information technology hub.

Nineteen-year-old Jaskaran Lamba heads straight for a cyber cafe every afternoon after his classes at a New Delhi college are finished. For several hours, he logs on to the net, searching for material for his college projects, checking his e-mail and chatting with friends.

He is among the thousands of Indians who flock daily to the cyber cafes that are sprouting up in crowded markets, shopping malls and rail stations. Cyber cafes offer computers with Internet access to anyone who pays a fee.

Nearly two-thirds of the 12 million Internet users in India frequent cyber cafes, according to industry estimates, and in the last two years, the number of establishments has doubled to 50,000 to meet the demand.

Industry experts say the business is likely to thrive. Less than one percent of Indians own computers. And like Jaskaran Lamba, even those do who do often prefer to use cyber cafes to avoid the high cost of Internet access at home.

Amitabh Singhal, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of India, says most private Internet users in India rely on expensive dial-up connections costing nearly 60 cents an hour. Cyber cafes, on the other hand, run on high-speed broadband connections, cutting the cost by nearly half.

"Cyber cafes have been a successful model," he said. "We see a quality of service which is better than the dial-up, [and] the prices are also very reasonable, so a lot of people find that a better option."

Mr. Singhal says the government wants to widen access to the Internet and aims to increase the number of subscribers to 40 million in five years' time. It hopes to do so by reducing tariffs to make high-speed broadband access more affordable for ordinary Indians.

Even if that happens, cyber cafes are confident they will stay in business. Industry experts say computers will remain out of reach for most of India's one billion people for years to come, so cyber cafes will continue to be the vehicle for taking the Internet to the masses.

That is why one of India's largest cyber-cafe chains, "iWay," is opening three new outlets a day, branching out from big cities to smaller towns.

Cafe controls in India's tech hub

Correspondents in Bangalore

INDIA'S southern state of Karnataka, of which the technology hub of Bangalore is the capital, is to restrict the use of internet cafes to fight cyber crime and pornography.Proposed new laws will make it compulsory for those using cybercafes to carry a photo-identity card and enter their details on an address book to be kept at the counter.

If no identity card is available, customers will be photographed by a web camera at the cafe and their photographs will be stored in the computer for a year.

"The main aim is to prevent the misuse of cybercafes," said M.K. Shankaralinge Gowda, secretary in the state's Information Technology and Biotechnology department. "It is meant to fight cyber crimes and pornography."

The law would be passed very soon, Mr Gowda said. "A bit of regulation is necessary and we do not want freedom to be misused."

Industry pundits, IT bodies and users, however, slammed the planned legislation, arguing it was an infringement of individual rights and will deal a severe blow to the industry which has been fighting to bring internet access to the poor.

India's premier IT body, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), said the move would not help tackle the problem of security or pornography.

"It is not a good idea at all," said NASSCOM president Kiran Karnik. "We understand that there are security compulsions but this step will not be useful or good to tackle it as the system can still be abused either by the cafe owner or by customers."

Mr Karnik said a majority of the internet users in India used cybercafes as they could not afford to buy a computer.

"I do not think checking and registration of subscribers is a good idea. It also infringes on individual freedom," Mr Karnik said.

"This move will kill (cybercafe) business. In India internet access is a problem. The rich own personal computers while the poor cannot even afford to use it," he said.

According to NASSCOM, there were an estimated 13 million internet users in India last year. The base grew from less than a million subscribers in 1998.

Ashish Saboo, president of the Association of Public Internet Access Providers, a body of cybercafe owners, said the government step would hit the industry hard.

"Operating a cybercafe is no longer a lucrative business," Mr Saboo said. "When these regulations come into effect, I wonder how many will still risk operating?"

Cybercafes revenue was on the decline even though "about 30 per cent" of India's total internet users depend on them, Mr Saboo said.

Over the couple of years fierce competition has cut the cost of accessing the internet at cybercafes to as little as 15 rupees (45c) an hour.

Agence France-Presse

Ahmedabad & Bangalore's Cyber Crime cell on outsourcing mode !

The Police force of the world's largest democratic country is on an outsourcing mode! At least this is what I conclude reading the rules being passed by the Ahmedabad & Bangalore police's nascent Cyber crime cell. Some significant measures announced are :

If you are not carrying a photo-ID card, you will have to get your photograph taken by webcam in the cafe and enter your details on the computer and your photograph will be stored in the computer for a period of one year.

Ahmedabad city police goes a step further :

Apart from these instructions, the directive also stipulates that cyber cafes will not be allowed to function near educational institutions, hospitals and places of worship.

I think the honorable office of the Cyber Crime investigations considers only criminals visit Cyber Cafe or all those who access Internet in public domain as suspicious . Until now the police department used to keep records and photographs of only people booked for offence. Now in this billion people nation setting up a database of each of us is a task which the police is confident only the "till now" ubiquitous Cyber cafes can execute. I think it is a great recognition of our strength and spread, considering the previous two national agencies viz the Election Commission with the Voters photo ID card and the Income Tax Authority with the Permanent account number PAN scheme are still struggling to set their records updated even after a decade! So how can a small commercial telecentre achieve it ? This action will also bring India in the club of worlds most Autocratic countries namely: China, Cuba & Vietnam to maintain such strict vigil. The city of London too is host to numerous cyber cafes but none have faced such severe restrictions and none of the developed countries have framed such laws then I wonder why Indian city regulators are planning such laws . Exactly a year ago the Mumbai police too had proposed similar regulations. Thankfully the authorities were considerate enough to understand the cyber cafe problems and offered to defer such laws. Operating a cyber cafe is no more a lucrative business . With earning significantly less than the one can expect a salary from a call centre job . With effect of such regulations I wonder, how many will still take a risk to operate in this business . Already the commercial cyber cafes are declining. Further Will people wile l be comfortable visiting a Cyber Cafes, where all your data, activity are under scrutiny . How can the police or the poor cyber cafe operator safe guard this data from being misused ? How will the Cyber cafe manger convince the women in the veil to be photographed ? In India only 1.59 people per 100 have access to Internet, Commercial telecentres with their pay per use model are the best bet to increase Internet penetration significantly but unfortunately such draconian law will burn the bridge to digital divide.