With a view to giving a boost to its usage, Facebook, the Social Network Company has planned to provide free basic internet services on mobile phone to the users. This is sure to make Facebook all the more accessible to many more people who till recently could not afford to get internet connected on account of the cost element. In fact, Facebookâs plan is already in operation for the last one year, and has presently 17 countries under the scheme. It covered a total of 9 million people so far.
Facebook now envisages covering 4.5 billion people over the next few years, especially those from Latin America, Africa and Asia. The plan is to pare-down web services for free along with access to its own social network and messaging services through mobile operators. In a blog post published on the occasion of completion of one year of the programme, Chris Daniels, Vice President of Product for Internet.org said: "This is really a customer acquisition tool for mobile operators where the benefit to them of offering a very light amount of free data is to bring on more paying subscribers to their networks."
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In India, through Internet.org platform, Facebook took an initiative to introduce free internet service for mobile phones in partnership with Reliance Communications. The attempt met with severe backlash with the activists claiming that this would go contrary to the concept of net neutrality. Ultimately, the proposal was pulled out. Nevertheless, there has been concerted efforts by Facebook to increase its usage and make the network platform accessible to as many people as possible through making available basic internet facility to mobile phones. Time will tell how these attempts would turn out to be in the coming days.
Compiler : Syed Zafar Ahmad
Designation: Executive Editor & Compilor
Bio: A freelancer with a flair for experimenting with innovative technology and electronic gadgets that could enrich the life of a modern common man, and a consultant in issues touching every-day life of a computer suave professional.
Bio: A freelancer with a flair for experimenting with innovative technology and electronic gadgets that could enrich the life of a modern common man, and a consultant in issues touching every-day life of a computer suave professional.
