How will Chinas internet population grow?
According to the China Network Information Center (CNNIC), the country’s internet population grew at double-digit rates over the past three years: by 18% in 2004 and 2005, and 23% in 2006. China seems to be racing along the internet development continuum, and is currently somewhere between the “early adopter” and “early majority” phases. By comparison, the internet growth rate among adult American internet users has been in the single-digit range for years, reflecting its more mature stage of internet development. In China, the growth rate translates into 26 million new users in 2006, and 57 million over the past 3 years. By comparison, in the U.S., growth since 2005 has amounted to roughly seven-to-nine million adults and teenagers. CNNIC projects a sustained growth rate would bring the total number of users in China to 210 million by the beginning of 2009.4 Who are the new Chinese users likely to be? People all across the board. But one of the most interesting and dynamic points to w
