The history of internet in India The history of internet in India started with launch of internet services by VSNL on 15 August 1995, the 48th anniversary of Indian independence. They were able to add about 10,000 internet users within 6 months. However for the next 10 years internet experience in the country remained less attractive with narrow-band connections having speed less than 56 kbit/s (Dial-Up). In 2004, Government formulated its Broadband policy which defined the broadband as an always-on internet connection with download speed of 256 kbit/s or above. From 2005 onward the growth of broadband sector in the country attained acceleration, but remained below the growth estimates of government and related agencies due to the resource issues in last-mile access which depended on wired-line technologies predominantly. This bottleneck was removed in 2010 when government auctioned the 3G spectrum followed by an equally high profile auction of 4G spectrum that set the scene for a competitive and invigorated wireless broadband market. Now internet access in India is provided by both public and private companies using a variety of technologies and media including Dial-Up (PSTN), xDSL, Coaxial Cables, Ethernet, FTTH, ISDN, HSDPA (3G), WiFi, WiMAX etc. at a wide range of speeds and costs. The country has the world's third largest Internet users with over 121 million users (of whom 59% who only access the internet via mobile devices) as of December 2011.