RCom, Facebook to join hands for taking Internet to the masses

Aimed at providing affordable Internet across the country, Reliance Communications is partnering with Facebook in India to launch a new initiative.

While the actual announcement will be made on Tuesday, market sources said the two are likely to partner for the internet.org programme.

Internet.org is a global programme initiated by Facebook wherein it partners mobile operators, handset makers, equipment vendors and chip manufacturers to offer affordable Internet access by increasing efficiency and affordability.

Under the initiative, users get free access to Facebook, with the social networking major acting as the gateway to access the web. It allows people to browse select websites relating to health, employment and local information without any data charges. Reliance Communications sent out a media invite for a press conference on Tuesday, which did not disclose the details, but said that the launch with Facebook will “make a billion dreams take off.”

If it is indeed an Internet.org partnership then it will make RCom the first operator to launch the initiative in the country. Facebook has done similar partnerships with telecom companies in other countries in Africa. For RCom, this would also help it further the cause of financial inclusion by providing Internet access to every citizen in the country.

Not many telecom operators are convinced of the model as this involves offering Internet bandwidth either free or at highly discounted prices.

When contacted an RCom spokesperson declined to comment.

For RCom, some revenues would trickle in from the paid sites, even though it would be miniscule. However, the initiative would result in bringing in more users on its network, which in the long-term would pay off, an industry source said.

The move will enable Facebook to become the preferred browser for many Indians, while its ‘mobile first’ would also come into play.

For Facebook, India is the second largest market after the US. On his recent visit to India in October last year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had spoken about bringing Internet.org to India.

Reliance Communications had earlier launched a scheme to offer free access to Facebook on Fridays to its pre-paid GSM customers in order to boost mobile Internet usage on its network.

COMMENT NOW