At the end of this year, Facebook will launch a satellite into orbit to provide free access to the Internet to the African continent. Yes, really. But what is a social networking service doing mucking around with satellites? To be completely accurate, Facebook has partnered with
Browsing: Internet.org
Facebook and the Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat have reached a deal to offer Internet access to underserviced areas in Africa – including South Africa – using the entire broadband payload of a
The greatest barrier to extending Internet use in South Africa, and indeed in most African countries, is the cost of data. In South Africa, 1GB of data on mobile networks – the only means of accessing the Internet for most – is R149 (prepaid). This means that for millions of people
Facebook chose South Africa over Kenya and Nigeria for its first African office because the country has a strong advertising agency ecosystem and the companies it’s worked most closely with to date are
Facebook will soon introduce Internet.org, its free Internet service for users in emerging markets, in South Africa in partnership with mobile operator Cell C. The social network has already launched the offering in a range
The race is on to get billions of people connected to the Internet via a global network of satellites. Europe’s Airbus announced this week that it is to design and build up to 900 satellites for the privately owned OneWeb, which includes Richard Branson as a
Despite the importance of the Internet to contemporary society, according to the International Telecommunication Union only 42% of the world’s population is online. That leaves 4,3bn people without the Internet, of which 90% live in the developing world. African, Asian
Kenya has become the third African country after Zambia and Tanzania to get the Facebook-led Internet.org application, giving Airtel customers in that country zero-rated access to a range of services, including Facebook, Wikipedia, Daily Nation, SuperSport and BBC News. Speaking at the opening keynote
Facebook and other so-called over-the-top service providers cannot put propositions on the table that are not profitable for mobile operators and doing so would be “contrary to our goal”. That’s the view of Chris Daniels, who heads Internet.org, the Facebook-led initiative to bring affordable Internet
Tigo subscribers in Tanzania will get free access to basic Internet services, including Facebook and Wikipedia, through Facebook’s Internet.org app. They join Airtel subscribers in Zambia in getting this free access. Internet.org is a Facebook-led initiative to make affordable Internet access