The social network giant Facebook has partnered with Indian service provider, BSNL to purchase bandwidth in 125 rural areas for INR100 million ($1.5 million) for a period of three years to enable the company to offer affordable WiFi service for Indian users. The WiFi service, dubbed Express WiFi will be available for as low as INR10.
Munish Seth, Country Manager for Connectivity Solutions, Facebook India said that, "This (Express WiFi) will empower a local entrepreneur to purchase inexpensive hardware to offer internet access in their town or region. Besides, it will also allow customers to purchase fast, reliable and affordable data packages to access the internet via local hotspots.”
Just a month back, Facebook via its Internet.org initiative made its Free Basics app available for all Reliance Communication customers across all circles in the country, before the project was required to obtain a special approval by TRAI, India's telecoms regulatory body.
