"Mobile phones are the future. More smartphones and tablets are being shipped in India than desktops and laptops. In fact, about 40 per cent of search queries for Google India comes from mobile phones as against US (14), UK (6) and Russia (11)," said Rajan Anandan, managing director of Google India during a speaker session at 'Confluence 2011' on Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) campus.

According to Anandan, about 67 per cent of ecommerce in India happens in mobile and consumer appliances. "The Web 1.0 and 2.0 is happening together in India. And the mobile phone space is leading the way with currently 50 million mobile Internet users in India. In fact, this year alone about $500 million worth mobile phones will be brought in India," added Anandan.

Quoting further figures, the Google India managing director said that smartphones growth in India is currently at 56 per cent CAGR. "In 2011, 21 million smartphones are being sold in India. This will grow to 32 million in 2012, 52 million in 2013, 72 million in 2014 and eventually 100 million smartphones by 2015. Also, the emerging opportunities for innovation in India are in areas like mobile, e-commerce and SaaS," Anandan added.