Facebook, Reliance Communication tie up to provide free access to Internet

India’s Reliance Communications Limited (RCOM) has partnered with social networking giant Facebook to offer free internet access.
Both companies have launched Internet.org, a Facebook-led initiative to bring internet to everyone in the world.
Key facts 

• Under this initiative both companies aim to bring the power of Internet to a billion people in India in order to increase internet inclusion and encourage more Indians to go online.
• As part of this initiative, RCOM will offer free data access to 33 popular websites for all its customers under the umbrella of Internet.org.
• Most of the services of 33 popular websites will be available in several Indian languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati and Marathi.
• All the subscriber of RCOM who have internet enabled hand set (mobile phones) will get access to this free service.
• Android based app of Internet.org on smartphones will be also provided for accessing free internet. It should be noted that India will be the first country in Asia to get this app.
• It is estimated that 70 per cent of RCOM’s customers who have such phones will benefit from this service that are now off line i.e. don’t have internet connection.

In the first phase this service has gone live in RCOM’s 7 circles which include Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chennai and Kerala. While in second phase, this service will be launched in pan India by May 2015.
Both companies by launching this initiative are opening new socioeconomic opportunities to users in fields like education, information and commerce. It will in turn create more jobs and opportunities in India which is world’s second-biggest mobile market with Internet.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2015