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February 24, 2014

Zuckerberg Wants Free Mobile Web Access for Everyone

Out of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, Mark Zuckerberg gave his first ever mobile-centric keynote speech, and he has big plans for how and when people access the mobile Web.

Facebook is partnering up with major wireless carriers – five of them, to be exact – in an effort to offer mobile phone access to the world. Yes, the entire world, and it won’t cost a dime for the user. Zuckerberg emphasized that he’s looking at developing countries for this initiative.

This is part of the Facebook’s CEO’s vision for Internet.org, which aims to bring Internet basics to the masses. He said Internet.org is “the on-ramp for the Internet.” The premise behind Internet.org is that it is "a global partnership dedicated to making internet access available to the two thirds of the world not yet connected."

Zuckerberg also says that he hopes that once the basics are established, you could easily start looking at weather, wikipedia and other things as well as rolling out the capabilities to every mobile operator across the world.

"I hope we can connect more than a billion people a lot quicker than 2020," he said.

"Connecting billions of people will be a massive global effort that requires ongoing innovation. Developers, mobile operators and device manufacturers will work together to introduce business models that give people more ways to go online," according to the Internet.org website.

Tying into the WhatsApp purchase by Facebook, Zuckerberg envisions this not being about apps, but about it being the be-all-end-all communication tool on the global level. The purchase puts Facebook right smack in the middle of smartphone communications, a strategic move for the already ever-popular social networking site.

The reason why this is such a critical move for Facebook is because it focuses on the market that isn’t quite here yet; in places like India and Africa, of whose people are likely to reach the Internet by way of a mobile device, the avenue is much easier to court them in.

"If Facebook is not first in line when those people are firing up their devices, it stands a chance of never connecting with those folks, because there are so many alternatives," said Brian Blau, an analyst at research firm Gartner.

Facebook is already on board with over 150 wireless providers to offer free or discounted access to the social network, including a deal with Globe Telecom to provide three months of free access to customers in the Philippines.

Of course, this entire-planet-gets-free-mobile-Web-access plan isn’t about money. In fact, Zuckerberg acknowledged that it will likely lose the company money for “quite a while,” but his eye is on the connectivity prize.

Does this make Zuckerberg an Internet-connectivity philanthropist or a just another mogul looking to monopolize the Internet airwaves? His moves are astute and bold, but the overall message is positive. With developments like SocialEDU under Internet.org, a program aimed at bringing “a collaborative online education experience” to students in Rwanda, it’s hard not to see the confident steps, but analysts are skeptical. A lot remains to be seen.

Watch this space for news as it happens out of Mobile World Congress this week. 




Edited by Cassandra Tucker


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