Ways of accessing local e-content determine the reach and spread of local content by the users. It also reflects the opportunities to improve people's awareness of their own culture, strengthening their identity and valuation of themselves; improve livelihood and capacity building of communities in a non-discriminating way.

Ways of accessing local e-content in India are more than one. Browsing has emerged as one strong way to access content. This can be linked to the growth rate of Internet penetration in India which is staggering. The country's Internet population has grown by 700% since 2000, yet there is a lot of room for expansion.

Downloading of content is being done by users who are mostly offline or located in areas which do not have the Internet options. This downloaded content is being accessed through either CDs/DVDs or using pen drives.

Streaming as a way to access local e-content exists

Streaming access is due to the fact that most content delivery systems are inherently streaming (e.g. radio, television) in India. As it is an established fact - the access of content is mostly happening in India through either radio or television and such other streaming ways. Equally nonstreaming (e.g. books, video cassettes, audio CDs) ways to access local e-content also exist in the country for those areas where browsing or downloading of content is not feasible.

However, there are two major trends emerging in India:
>> Convergence of media and digital technologies vis-à-vis broadband: This implies feeding local language content in audio-visual medium for the mass accessibility; and this is happening in two manners - through internet technology enabled browser-based services where the user has choice of time and content to access and get delivered as and when desired; and secondly through the satellite-cable-TV based content services where interactivity and user-control based broadcasting is taking place. Obviously the interactive and content back-up based TV service through hundreds
of channels is the choice of millions - perhaps more than 130 million. The popularity of TV-based content broadcast and content access is spreading like wildfire because it serves the desire and need of the masses of being audiovisual (oral medium) and in local language.

>> Mobile as Media & Message: The other huge trend is mobile penetration with more than 400 million subscriber base, bound to overwhelm every other media and technology phenomenon as far as mass penetration and adoption is concerned. As mobile phone is an oral medium there is no requirement for capacity building. It is multi-lingual, cheap  handset/gadgets), audio visual, relevant to people beyond literacy and education, interactive, informational and content rich. It is user-content enabled, user-controlled based, entertaining and multiuser enabled. It builds peer pressure, enables connectivity and is a fashion statement as well. It has a universal access and an instant reach.

The following table shall give an overview of local e-content delivery in India as per medium and platform and technology used as well as tariffs applicable: