Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is quite actively working on the newly launched project ‘Express Wi-Fi’.
According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), only 390 Million people out of the population of 1.3 Billion are on the internet.
Wonder what’s Express Wi-Fi?
Express Wi-Fi is Facebook’s collaboration with Bharti Airtel in order to connect people with slow or no internet to a lightning fast internet.
An official announcement was also made by Mark in his Facebook post. He said that it will ensure high-speed internet via public hotspot to the places with no or minimal internet connectivity. With Bharti Airtel coming on-board in India with Facebook, over 20,000 public hotspots will be installed all across India.
This project is currently live in countries namely, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Indonesia. It is yet to reach to other nooks and corners of the world. Express Wi-Fi is also expected to be cheaper than the normal internet packages.
The testing for this initiative began in 2015 but the commercial launch tells that a few more parties will join the cause.
On this collaboration, Ajaip Puri, Chief Operating Officer (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel said: “We are delighted to be a part of this initiative to provide affordable access to high-speed data to users across India, particularly in the underserved segment. We believe this will help in empowering millions of Indians by bringing them online and contribute to the Government’s Digital India vision.”
Facebook plans are expected to be very cheap and affordable as Express Wi-Fi will cover the uncovered parts of the country via hotspot.
Time and again, Facebook has been proactively observing the problems and has come up with speedy and reliable solutions. Along with Express Wi-Fi, there are many more ongoing projects which aim to make an online world in itself. This initiative by Facebook is definitely going to contribute a lot towards the upliftment of India as a smart nation.