Facebook reaches out to more people online via Internet.org
Facebook wants to get more of the world's 7 billion people online through a partnership with Samsung, Nokia and other large mobile technology companies.
PHOTO: Associated Press
The social network has announced a partnership, called Internet.org, to "make Internet access available to the two-thirds of the world who are not yet connected". "By reducing the cost and amount of data required for most apps and enabling new business models, Internet.org is focused on enabling the next 4 billion people to come online," Facebook's statement read.
The group's plans include developing cheaper smartphones and using mobile data more efficiently. The founding members of the project include Facebook, Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung.
"Everything Facebook has done has been about giving all people around the world the power to connect. There are huge barriers in developing countries to connecting and joining the knowledge economy," Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement.
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, he added.
"Our industry is now at an exciting inflection point where Internet connectivity is becoming more affordable and efficient for consumers while still offering them great experiences. Universal internet access will be the next great industrial revolution," Nokia President and CEO Stephen Elop said.
Internet.org is influenced by the "Open Compute Project", an industry-wide initiative that has lowered the costs of cloud computing by making hardware designs more efficient and innovative.
Javier Olivan, vice president of growth and analytics at Facebook, said the move continues what the company has already been doing to get more people online. This includes 'Facebook For Every Phone', an app that launched in 2011 to let people with simple, non-smartphones use Facebook.
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