Global Internet Use 'To Hit 1.8bn by 2012'

Around one quarter of the earth's population will be surfing the web within four years, a new industry forecast suggests.

Tech analysts Jupiter Research has said that around 1.8 billion will be using broadband or dial-up web connections by 2012, with rapid growth to be experienced in the rapidly developing Chinese, Russian and Indian economies. Such an increase in internet use would mean that 44 per cent more people will go online over the four year period.
Population increases in Asia and Latin America, as well as improvements in broadband network technology in the developing world, have been cited as potential agents for the rapid change.

Vikram Sehgal, research director at Jupiter, said: "Even though the emerging economies will have lower online penetration rates compared to the developed countries, Jupiter Research believes that they will ramp up the learning curve in adopting sophisticated online activities compared to the developing countries."

The firm's president, David Schatsky, added: "Asia will not only have the highest online growth rate compared to other regions in the world, but will also present a substantially large pool of sophisticated online users as a market to tap into."