New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) A comprehensive survey by the Ministry of Statistics on Thursday showed that in rural areas, approximately 96.8 per cent of persons in the age group 15-29 used mobile phones at least once during the last three months for making personal calls and accessing the internet.

The use of mobile phones is estimated at 97.6 percent in urban areas.

In the age group 15-29 years, around 95.5 per cent of persons own a smartphone in rural areas. In urban areas, about 97.6 per cent persons own a smartphone in the same age group.

“Among the persons in the age group 15-29 years who reported the ability to perform online banking transactions, about 99.5 per cent persons reported to have the ability to perform online banking transactions through UPI,” said the report titled ‘Results of Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom, 2025.’

In India, approximately 85.5 per cent of households possessed at least one smartphone. Around 86.3 per cent households in India have access to internet within the household premises.

Among the individuals in the age group 15-29 years, approximately 97.1 percent persons reported using a mobile phone (including smartphones) during the last three months from the date of survey.

About 85.1 per cent persons in the age group 15-29 reported execution of the skill of ‘sent messages (e-mail, messaging service, SMS) with attached files (documents, pictures, video)’, using mobile or computer-like devices, during the last three months preceding the date of survey.

The survey covered the whole of the India Union except for some villages of Andaman and Nicobar Islands which were difficult to access.

At the all-India level, the total number of first-stage units (FSUs) surveyed was 4,382 (2,395 in rural areas and 1,987 in urban areas).

The total number of households surveyed was 34,950 (19,071 in rural areas and 15,879 in urban areas) and the total number of persons enumerated was 1,42,065 (82,573 in rural areas and 59,492 in urban areas).

–IANS

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