The study, titled `Internet in India', is based on an user sample of 5,600 business establishments and 1,250 households in top eight cities of the country. This is for the first time PC-owning community has been profiled in terms of activity and employee size at the premise, according to IMRB.

IMRB has been tracking PC penetration in businesses and homes through their end-user based syndicated series titled ITOPS which for the first time has profiled PC owning businesses byvariables such as `activity' and `employee size' at the premises.

``On an average, establishments use the internet for around 16 hours a week. About 92 per cent of businesses with internet use it for E-mail, while downloading contents comes a distinct second,'' said vice-president and general manager of IMRB's business and industrial research division Bhupendra Mathur.

Nearly 38 per cent of the users complain of the connections snapping mid-way. There are also problems pertaining to difficulties in getting the connection at particular times of the day, problem of receiving viruses through executable files and receiving junk mail.

By virtue of this survey, the first-time marketers like advertising agencies and internet service providers alike can understand the existing market in India in terms of `who uses', `for what' and `how'.

The study findings analyse the current users by the industry sector they belong to and covers Indian companies, MNCs, governments and government offices. It indicates theirsize, their principle activity at the premise and several other profiling variables. With such a profile, the ISPs can determine who to focus among the current non-users of the Net.

The study tries to link the penetration of the internet with that of the PC, specially in the home segment where these complement each other as triggers for purchase.