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The world’s largest social networking began an initiative on Thursday called #connectindia #connecttheworld, asking users to support access to a free internet in India. The link to the post is https://www.facebook.com/about/connectindia/. The campaign is only for India.
The post on Facebook said: “More than a billion people in India aren’t connected to the internet yet. With Internet.org, people get free access to information and opportunities that can have a positive impact on their lives. They can keep in touch with family and friends, and view helpful websites about health, education, jobs, government and more. The mission of Internet.org is to get everyone in the world on the internet, and increase access to information, opportunities and innovations. A connected world is a better world.”
Facebook had 1.44 billion monthly active users as of March 31; about 112 million are in India. Of these, 99 million use this platform on their mobile phones at least once a month. According to an eMarketer report, India will surpass America by 2017 in the global tally, with the largest Facebook userbase on mobiles.
The initiative comes within a few days of Facebook opening the Internet.org platform for all developers. Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive, in a post after the announcement, said: “Our goal with Internet.org is to work with as many developers and entrepreneurs as possible, to extend the benefits of connectivity to diverse, local communities. To do this, we’re going to offer services through Internet.org in a way that’s more transparent and inclusive.”
Developers can be part of Internet.org if they follow some guidelines set by Facebook. As “Internet.org needs to be sustainable for operators”, websites must be optimised for browsing on both feature and smartphones and in limited bandwidth scenarios, he said. Websites that require high-bandwidth such as voice over internet protocol, video, file transfer, high-resolution photos or a high volume of photos would not be included on the platform, Zuckerberg added.
In India, a debate on net neutrality was triggered after mobile operator Airtel introduced an open marketing platform, Airtel Zero. Subsequently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India brought out a consultation paper on the subject. It invited comment on whether telecom firms could be allowed to charge different rates for different uses of internet data such as email, internet browsing and use of apps such as WhatsApp, Viber and Skype. The controversy later engulfed Internet.org, which had partnered Reliance Communications in February to provide free internet access to 33 websites. Following the controversy, major companies Cleartrip and NDTV pulled out of Internet.org, while Flipkart severed ties with Airtel Zero.
