88% of Indian phone owners  have shifted at least one online activity completely  to their mobile device
New Delhi, Dec 21, 2016: Indian mobile users spent  93% of the total time on their mobile phones using apps. Leading Management Consulting  Zinnov,has released a whitepaper  titled, “India as a Mobile-First Nation - Opportunities & Challenges”, on the Indian mobile economy that is witnessing a rapid growth not only in the number of mobile users, but also in terms of businesses that are providing products and services on the mobile platform.
The whitepaper highlights that the behavior of users has evolved significantly over the last two years. 58% mobile internet users access internet only through mobile phones, it read. Among these users, 80% have an income less than INR 5 Lakh, which clearly demonstrates the utility and indispensability of mobile internet in their lives.Of the 934 million active mobile connections, only about 45% are unique users.
Says  Praveen Bhadada, Partner & Practice Head, Zinnov: “An increasing number of mobile internet users are accessing internet to avail a plethora of mobile-based services being provided by businesses. Content and Service providers, along with OEMs are playing a key role in transforming India into a mobile economy.”|
The whitepaper, finds the time spent by users on mobile internet has grown by 94% over the last two years. This has resulted in an increase in their mobile usage & mobile online spend by 113%. The research also indicates that among users who access the internet through both mobile & desktop, 88% have shifted at least one online activity completely to a mobile device. In the last two years alone, there has been a tremendous growth in the introduction of new services provisioned through mobile apps, it added.
The standardization of mobile OS such as Android has contributed to the growth of mobile adoption,with more affordable - more powerful devices, and providing access to a host of applications and services. Some73% users who have reduced their time on TV, have increased their mobile internet time.
The study was conducted via consumer interactions across five major cities, namely, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Coimbatore and Vijaywada, with 495 users accessing internet through mobile phones. 
The time spent on mobile internet by consumers has witnessed 94% growth. The analysis also added that it saw about 43% rise in consumers who are spending more than Rs100 per month on mobile usage and more than 100% growth in consumer spending on mobile transactions.
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What is Mobile-First? 
‘Mobile-First’  refers to the increased priority or preference
among users to access online content via mobile phones;
wherein they rely on their mobile phone as the primary tool
to access content and perform specific online tasks.
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Governments, both central as well as state, are taking thoughtful initiatives to increase mobile penetration in the country, it added. The central government has launched an app store called the “Mobile Seva App Store”, which offers nearly 700 unique apps to citizens. The government has also mandated several policy measures such as introduction of panic button in mobile handsets, mandatory Indic languages support, GPS enablement, etc. to be implemented in all new mobile handsets manufactured in the next 1-2 years.
Government  and businesses alike, will have to take joint initiatives to enhance the uptake of mobile internet usage in the country, suggests  Zinnov.