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Mark Zuckerberg Launches Internet.org In India
Mark Zuckerberg Launches Internet.org In India — An App Providing Over 100 Million Indians With Free Basic internet
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made his way into India — providing Indians with free basic Internet services with his new app, Internet.org. India has the most citizens without Internet connectivity of all countries, making Zuckerberg's initiative revolutionary in its ability to connect millions of Indians with the world.
The Internet.org app launched on February 10, 2014, as a joint venture between Facebook and Reliance Communications. It provides millions of Indians with free basic Internet service, allowing them the freedom to search for medical resources and services as well as information related to employment and education — just to name a few key uses of the services. The Internet.org app's services are available in English as well as an additional six Indian languages — Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati and Marathi — making the Internet.org app user-friendly and accessible to the diverse Indian population.
"Over the last year we've rolled out Internet.org free basic services to countries with more than 150 million people total across Africa and Latin America. More than 6 million people are already connected to the internet who previously weren’t, and we’ve started hearing incredible stories about how the internet is changing lives and communities," says Zuckerberg.
With the Internet.org initiative underway in other international arenas, it only made sense for Zuckerberg to set his eyes on the world's largest democracy, India. "More than a billion people in India don’t have access to the internet. That means they can’t enjoy the same opportunities many of us take for granted, and the entire world is robbed of their ideas and creativity," continues Zuckerberg.
Mark Zuckerberg visits Chandauli, a small rural village in northern India
recently connected to the Internet via Internet.org.
Indians living in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala and Maharashtra will be connected to the free internet services through their Reliance network subscriptions — giving them access to more than 36 different services. Some of the services include Dictionary.com, TimesJobs, Wikipedia, and Reliance Astrology as well as information hotspots for news, employment, weather, travel, health and, of course, Facebook.
Although the app is only available to a select number of Indians, Zuckerberg shows no signs of leaving anyone in the dark. He explains, "We still have a long way to go to connect India. But I'm optimistic that by getting free basic services into people's hands, more change can follow pretty rapidly."
Featured Image: Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg
Daniel Pillai
Author
Daniel is the Digital Media Manager for ANOKHI MEDIA and the host for ANOKHI's entertainment channel, PULSE TV. As part of the dream team, Daniel manages all multiple channels under ANOKHI’s portfolio, while also training new on-air talent, and showing budding p...
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