New Delhi: It took pioneering Internet browser Netscape only nine quarters to grab 11 million users: a hectic growth rate that marked the start-up as one of the leaders of the Internet revolution and the target of a bruising battle with Microsoft.

It took Apple a mere three quarters to get 11 million customers for its iPhones and iTouch hardware. Steve Jobs’ innovation machine already has more users for these two products than Netscape had at its peak, before it went up in flames. NTT DoCoMo’s i-Mode got 25 million users in its first nine quarters in the market.

The point is that mobile Internet usage has been growing at a pace that puts the original desktop-based Internet revolution in the shadow. This data comes from a study by Morgan Stanley, cited in Paul Kedrosky’s Infectious Greed blog.

India is a country of mobile phones rather than a country of computers. Its Internet penetration is still low, but the game may change with new 3G services around the corner, provided telecom firms can keep costs low.