Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg launches Internet.org in India on October 9, 2014.
The founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg is on a two-day visit to New Delhi, India. Yesterday, the head of Facebook launched the Internet.org in India, as part of the global initiative. The Internet.org is a project undertaken by Facebook, Mediatek, Samsung, Nokia, Opera, Ericsson and Qualcomm. It aims to bring better internet connectivity to the global population that is not connected to the internet yet.
The project was announced in August 2013 and it is catching speed in a lot of countries now. Statistics show that two-thirds of the world population are not connected to the internet. At a time when internet connectivity dominates every field, not being connected can hamper progress.
In a statement issued by Facebook in August 2013, the said, “These founding companies have a long history of working closely with mobile operators and expect them to play leading roles within the initiative, which over time will also include NGOs, academics and experts as well.”
Around 243 million users are connected to the Internet in India already and this projects will look to increase that number. With a population of 1 billion, India is one of the key countries for the success of this project. Zuckerberg acknowledged the success of India’s Mars Mission and said, “After this achievement, it is now important for the country to connect all of its people to the Internet.”
Facebook has already launched the project in a few countries. In July 2104, the giant teamed up with cellular network Airtel in Zambia to provide basic internet services for free in the country.
