Recently
Facebook breaking headlines for giving free internet to check out status
updates and with Re 1, one could access Facebook totally. With this there has
been a lot of buzz about the social media giant, but now the latest news is that Facebook has come up with
new project ‘Express Wi-Fi’. For the same, Facebook has partnered with BSNL and
ISP to sponsor 125 Wi-Fi hotspots in villages across west and south India as a
part of Digital India campaign. According to statement given by BSNL Chairman
and MD, Anupam Shrivastava said, “Facebook will pay Rs5 lakh to BSNL bandwidth
for each hotspot per annum.”
With
this it is said that Facebook will bring affordable internet access to rural
India. According to media reports, Express Wi-Fi has already completed a trial
period in the country with a local state-run telecom and about 125 rural Wi-Fi
hotspots.
According to well-known market analyzers, “The Express Wi-Fi service is on Internet.org. It is the same platform it used for Free Basics which was opposed by India. But even now the Express Wi-Fi page on Internet.org gives a link that they have to register to Free Basics to get themselves included. With this Facebook is moving back to Free Basics and thus makes me question Net neutrality.”
According to well-known market analyzers, “The Express Wi-Fi service is on Internet.org. It is the same platform it used for Free Basics which was opposed by India. But even now the Express Wi-Fi page on Internet.org gives a link that they have to register to Free Basics to get themselves included. With this Facebook is moving back to Free Basics and thus makes me question Net neutrality.”
Adding
further, analysts explain, “In 2015 Facebook had almost 134.5 million users;
because of this India was Facebook’s second largest market. So now with Express
Wi-Fi, it looks like Facebook wants more people to access internet in order to
become it’s users.”
Free
basics
India’s
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in February banned Facebook’s free
basics service, on the grounds that it violated the principles of net
neutrality. Due to free basics, equal treatment of traffic on internet was not
possible.
That time Facebook had said it would not try to provide the service again in India. But this time they have come up with Express Wi-Fi and a line that mentions log on to register your site for Free Basis.
That time Facebook had said it would not try to provide the service again in India. But this time they have come up with Express Wi-Fi and a line that mentions log on to register your site for Free Basis.
Also
Facebook said that it was simply trying to connect the unconnected, and that
some web access is better than none at all. Critics state that Facebook this
time has planned not to violate the guidelines of net neutrality and keep
Express Wi-Fi free and transparent. But it doesn’t look like it’s following the
same.
If
Facebook tries to bring back free basics once again, then there will be
opposition for sure. If not then this will be a great step to connect people
across rural parts of India and thus a move towards Mission Digital India.
