| IOA hopes to achieve 100 million Internet users in
India by 2007 through a multi-pronged strategy covering: mass communicating
the time and cost savings generated by using the Internet, delivering
best-in-class research and strategic inputs to the industry, encouraging
the adoption of global standards and guidelines that increase customer
confidence, marketing and promoting the industry by diseminating research
and white papers, organising events and media campaigns, developing
educational material through global and national partnerships to raise
the level of knowledge among users and partnering with the government
and trade bodies to inform and shape policies and legislations that
affect the industry.
Speaking on the occasion, IOA chairman and Sify interactive services
president V V Kannan said, "The impact of technology is seen
only when it benefits a substantial portion of the population. We
believe that the target of 100 million users by 2007 is possible
and IOA will work towards this objective. At that size India will
be one of the top five Internet markets in the world."
He further added, "The online industry depends on advertising
as the major source of revenue. More and more marketers are using
the Internet and we see the potential for a one billion rupees online
advertising business in the next 12 months. With the increase in
penetration, this can grow to a few billion in the next three years."
Commenting on IOA's objective of increasing direct value to members,
IOA president Preeti Desai said, "IOA aims to empower Indians
by setting up standards that encourage transparency and protect
privacy. We are also committed to creating a secure, safe and dynamic
environment for children and teenagers."
An upbeat Kannan said, "There should be a time in the future
when people will talk about B.I. (Before Internet) and A.I. (After
Internet) instead of B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (After Death).
Kannan said that the online revenue market has gone up from Rs
450 million last year to Rs one billion. Also on the agenda of IOA
was to build consumer trust by setting up a standard that would
encourage transparency and protect privacy.
The growth of the Indian online industry is projected at 2.5 per
cent from 0.5 per cent of the total spends in the next three years.
IOA is looking at getting all the portals on board. Desai said,
"The membership fee for IOA is Rs 400,000. We are looking at
having all vertical, horizontal, niche and commerce portals on IOA.
The membership fee is steep initially but we are looking at a lot
of mobile and ecommerce initiatives, research in the near future
and hence we are hoping that with revenue coming in from those channels,
the membership fee will subsequently reduce."
IOA is a platform to build a strong online market and this organisation
was born out of the desire to build a collaboration between various
portals.
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