Facebook to launch Wi-Fi service in India

Social networking site Facebook remained defiant about its free internet service providing initiative internet.org and said it was looking at innovative ways to provide connectivity in the country.

Facebook vice president for mobile and global access policy Kevin Martin at the India Economic Convention 2015 said that the social-networking giant was planning to launch a special Wi-Fi service in India which would aid in subsidising the cost of accessing internet.

He added that Facebook’s connectivity lab has been working with drones and unmanned aerial vehicles to lower the cost of service to people without infrastructure.

“We are rolling out a kind of Wi-Fi service at a lower cost which is trying to adjust cost issue in other countries and looking out to do that in India,” Martin said at the convention.

Martin added that Facebook’s internet service would come without advertisement and videos thereby claiming lesser bandwidth and benefiting users.

He also reiterated that the social networking giant supports the concept of net neutrality and internet.org initiative was to enable people to realise the importance of Internet by providing access to basic web service free of data cost.

He said that Facebook supports the concept of net neutrality and its programme internet.org is to enable people to realise the importance of Internet by providing access to basic web service free of data cost.

Through internet.org, mobile users can access websites available on the platform for free.

Even websites are not required to pay any charge for coming on to the platform, but need to follow certain technical criteria for joining it, he said.