Facebook has made it possible for everyone in India to have access to essential Internet services via the Internet.org program and the Free Basic app.
With these services, users will have the ability to access health, education, job, and communication services without the need for a data plan. The program is also made possible due to the partnership between Intenet.org and Reliance network.
At first, only 6 states in the country had access to the free services, and they were Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, and Telangana.
The interesting thing about this program is how it is able to allow everyone inside India to read the latest news, find information about pregnancy issues, childcare, engage with local government among other things. We understand the feature also makes it possible for citizens to get information about sporting events and transit.
Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has long wanted to see Internet.org spread its wings across India, the world's number 1 largest democracy. We should point out that India is home to 130 million Facebook users, so there's the real reason Zuckerberg has pushed so hard to make Internet.org a thing in the country.
By allowing all citizens in the country to access some parts of the web for free, which includes Facebook itself, Zuckerberg is hoping much of India's 1.25 billion people might one day choose to sign up for the social network. If this happens, it would mean more money for Facebook from advertisements.
Not everyone is interested in seeing Free Basic being a successful product in India. Some critics believe it could segment some aspects of the Internet by allowing Facebook-related services to become readily available when compared to other websites and services.
The fears critics have might very well become a problem in the future, but for now, millions of people in India who were once without the internet can now at least get a taste of what the web is all about.
Photo: Franco Bouly | Flickr
