More than half of traffic will be from mobile devices: LinkedIn

Professional networking site Linkedin on Wednesday said more than half of its traffic is going to come from mobile devices very soon.

“Increasingly the world is becoming more and more mobile. The web is accessed more and more through smartphones, tablets, not necessarily through a desk top or a laptop anymore,” LinkedIn Technology Centre, India-Head of Engineering- Venkatasubramanian told reporters in Bangalore.

He said, “If you look at LinkedIn, 43 per cent of our traffic today is through mobile devices. It is soon going to hit what we call mobile moment, where more than half of the traffic is going to come from the mobile devices very soon”.

“There is certainly a lot of focus on mobilising, like making LinkedIn available to people on their mobile devices...,” he said.

To a question about mobile traffic India specific, he said: “...it will be about the same or bigger than this.”

Stating that for the longest time LinkedIn was focused on the US, where it was started, Mr. Venkatasubramanian said, “Today two-third of members are outside of the US, out of 300 million. Our increased focus is on ticking individual regions and geographies, and understanding the needs of members in those areas and see how we can enhance...”.

“India is certainly on focus as it has second largest member base (after US with 100 million users). So certainly a big focus and understanding the needs of members here is important,” he added.

He said LinkedIn today has 300 million members from over 200 countries out of which 26 million members are from India.

LinkedIn today has 3.5 million active company profiles; three hundred thousand jobs are available, world wide. It has 5,400 employees working world wide out of which about 350 are from India.

To a question about company hiring more people in India, he said, “...we are planning to hire in line with the business”.

The company officials said LinkedIn’s technology centre in Bangalore is the only such facility outside of Mountain View, California, which has functions including engineering, operations, customer service, sales and marketing.