Facebook has confirmed that it is in the early stages of testing a wi-fi service with Indian internet service providers (ISPs).
A pilot version with a state-run telecoms company has already been offered at 125 rural wi-fi hotspots.
According to a BBC report, Facebook said the tests were being carried out with “multiple local ISP partners”. Express WiFi is part of Facebook’s over Internet.org project, which wants to bring internet connectivity to parts of the world that are still offline. Express WiFi lets users buy data packets from as low as Rs 10, and is being implemented across villages.
Facebook Internet.org website’s page on Express WiFi says the project is already live in rural India. The project aims to bring internet to remote parts of the world and allows affordable internet at a community level. Facebook helps plug the technology gap and its local Internet service provider partners provide the data packet.
Facebook is probably hoping that users who first encounter the web via a Facebook initiative will be more likely to become users of the social network – rather than a competitor – according to Ian Fogg, an analyst at IHS Technology.
“In emerging economies, Facebook is pursuing an intervention strategy to increase the pace of internet and online usage because this will also raise the addressable market for Facebook,” he told the BBC.
Earlier this year, Facebook’s Free Basics internet service app was blocked by India’s telecoms regulator.
A ruling in favour of net neutrality put a stop to the plans, which would have offered free access to a select number of websites only.
source:bbc