Mobile penetration in India is poor, World Bank

 More than 30 billion apps were downloaded in 2011 and three-quarters of the world's inhabitants now have access to a mobile phone. India has 70 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, a new report from the World Banksays. 

"Mobile communication has arguably had a bigger impact on humankind in a shorter period of time than any other invention in human history," the 'Information and Communications for Development 2012: Maximizing Mobile' report released by the World Bank on Tuesday says. 

It sees a big role for mobile applications in promoting development and stimulating economies. The number of mobile phones in use has skyrocketed from less than 1 billion in 2000 to 6 billion in 2012. 

With the ownership of multiple subscriptions now common, mobile usage may outnumber the world's population in the near future , the report suggests. 

The developing world is more "mobile" than the developed, having leapfrogged over some communication devices to go straight to mobiles and creating innovations like multiple-SIM phones and mobile payments, a trajectory different from that of the developed world, the report finds. 

India has 70 subscriptions per 100 people, of which 96% are prepaid , while 53% of households own a mobile phone. Mobile phone networks currently cover 83% of Indians, a number that lags far behind other countries. Indian mobile users speak for 330 minutes per month on average, or 11 minutes per day, down from 425 minutes per user per month. 

India's price per minute use is the lowest possible at $0.01. Just under half of Indians use text messages on a regular basis. India however lags far behind in mobile internet access: just 3.3% use mobile internet. 

Smartphone penetration is the lowest among middle-income and developed countries; at the other end of the spectrum, Singapore has 90% smartphone use. This despite the fact that the average mobile data speed in India is among the highest of developing countries and higher than China or the US. 

The report cites several examples of effective mobile-based innovations from India, where it says the skills and entrepreneurship for ICT exists. 

It singles out Kerala's mobile government programme and the Aakash tablet for praise. Electronic cash transfers by the Indian government is another area of growth. "In India alone, the mobile industry is expected to generate around 7 million indirect jobs during 2012," the report says.