Internet.org has brought together industry leaders such as Facebook, Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung on an initiative to make Intenet accessible for everyone around the world. About two thirds of the world do not have internet access due to cost, technology and delivery barriers and internet.org is leveraging on the strenghts of its giant partners to embark on a series of initiatives to tackle these challenges and find innovative solutions to accelerate the growth in internet usage around the world.
The major initatives include:
The development of lower-cost, higher-quality smartphones and partnerships to more broadly deploy internet access in underserved communities;
The development of data compression tools, enhancing network capabilities to more efficiently handle data, building systems to cache data efficiently and creating frameworks for apps to reduce data usage.
The development of sustainable new business models and services including testing new models that align incentives for mobile operators, device manufacturers, developers and other businesses to provide more affordable access than has previously been possible.
The initiatives expects mobile operators to play leading roles within the initiative, which over time will also include NGOs, academics and experts as well.
"Everything Facebook has done has been about giving all people around the world the power to connect," Zuckerberg said. "There are huge barriers in developing countries to connecting and joining the knowledge economy. Internet.org brings together a global partnership that will work to overcome these challenges, including making internet access available to those who cannot currently afford it."
