Poised to become a US$ 225 billion industry by 2020, the Indian information technology (IT) industry has played a key role in putting India on the global map. The IT-BPO sector has become one of the most significant growth catalysts for the Indian economy. In addition to fuelling India’s economy, this industry is also positively influencing the lives of its people through an active direct and indirect contribution to various socio-economic parameters such as employment, standard of living and diversity. The industry has played a significant role in transforming India’s image from a slow moving bureaucratic economy to a land of innovative entrepreneurs and a global player in providing world class technology solutions and business services, according to National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM).

The sector is estimated to have grown by 19 per cent in the FY2011, clocking revenue of almost US$ 76 billion. India’s outsourcing industry has witnessed a rebound and registered better than expected growth according to NASSCOM.

The export revenues are estimated to have aggregated to US$ 59 billion in FY2011 and contributed 26 per cent as its share in total Indian exports (merchandise plus services), according to a research report ‘IT-BPO Sector in India: Strategic Review 2011’, published by NASSCOM. The workforce in Indian IT industry will touch 30 million by 2020 and this sunrise industry is expected to continue its mammoth growth, expect various industry experts.

Furthermore, NASSCOM said that the domestic IT-BPO revenues excluding hardware are expected to have grown at almost 16 per cent to reach US$ 17.35 billion in FY2011. Strong economic growth, rapid advancement in technology infrastructure, increasingly competitive Indian organisations, enhanced focus by the government and emergence of business models that help provide IT to new customer segments are the key drivers for increased technology adoption in India.

The data centre services market in the country is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.7 per cent between 2009 and 2011, to touch close to US$ 2.2 billion by the end of 2011, according to research firm IDC India's report. The IDC India report stated that the overall India data centre services market in 2009 was estimated at US$ 1.39 billion.

India will see its number of internet users triple to 237 million by 2015, from 81 million registered in September 2010, according to a report titled 'Internet's New bn', by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). BCG said Internet penetration rate in India is expected to reach 19 per cent by 2015, up from the current seven per cent.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is targeting a 10-fold increase in broadband subscribers to 100 million by 2014. The country has 10.29 million subscribers now. "We will have 100 million broadband subscribers by 2014," J.S. Sarma, Chairman, TRAI said at the fifth India Digital Summit 2010 organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India.

The penetration of the internet in rural areas will see an all time high in 2011. In a survey conducted by IMRB for the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the total number of active internet users in rural area will rise by 98 per cent to touch 24 million by the end of 2011 from 12.1 million in December 2010. The survey said that the claimed internet user category is also set to grow by 96 per cent to reach 29.9 million by December 2011 from 15.2 million in December 2010. (Active users are those, who have used the internet at least once in the past one month. Claimed internet users are those, who have used the internet sometime but not necessarily in the past one month.)

The Growth Story

India is a preferred destination for companies looking to offshore their IT and back-office functions. It also retains its low-cost advantage and is a financially attractive location when viewed in combination with the business environment it offers and the availability of skilled people.

The country’s domestic market for business process outsourcing (BPO) is projected to grow over 23 per cent to touch US$ 1.4 billion in 2011, says global research group Gartner. In 2010, the domestic BPO market was worth US$ 1.1 billion. The firm predicts that the domestic BPO market would reach US$ 1.69 billion in 2012 and increase to US$ 2.47 billion by 2014.

With the first quarter of the new fiscal 2011-12 offering positive business outlook, hiring sentiments for sectors like IT, ITeS and telecom have risen by over 20 per cent, says a study by TeamLease Services Pvt. Ltd. As per the Employment Outlook Report for the period April-June 2011, released by TeamLease Services Pvt. Ltd., hiring intent from IT and ITeS was the highest in cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune.

India's top technology firms like TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL are readying plans to gain a bigger share of their largest market, US, by aggressively chasing contracts being served by multinational rivals. Analysts expect the top IT firms to grow between 23-27 per cent in the FY2012 on the back of more number of discretionary projects, improved pricing, and robust business volumes.