Social media giant, Facebook, has revealed that it has now set its sight’s on Senegal – in order to launch Internet.org as well as more than a dozen free basic services within the country.
According to Facebook, the services will be available to will be available to Tigo SIM card holders. Facebook originally launched Internet.org with the intention of bringing Internet access to two thirds of the world that are not connected.
Senegal is the sixth country in Africa where Internet.org is available. Internet.org is currently available in 13 countries, which includes: Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, Colombia, Guatemala, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Malawi, Pakistan, and Senegal.
By Darryl Linington
According to the company, its mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.
“In our first decade we’ve been able to connect mobile than a billion people to Facebook. Internet.org’s mission is to make affordable internet access available to everyone in the world and to make the opportunities of the internet available to everyone. Free basic services are our solution to increase accessibility of the internet and create awareness around the value it may bring,” the company stated in a media release.
The free basic services that will be available through Internet.org to consumers with a Tigo SIM card will include: AccuWeather, BabyCenter & MAMA, BBC News, BING, UNICEF, Ebola Info, Facebook, UNICED Facts for Life, Girl Effect by Nike Foundation, Malaria No More, Messenger, Wattpad, Wikipedia, Wiwisport, Dakaractu.com, Senjob. All services are in French.
Internet.org is a partnership between social networking services company Facebook and six companies (Samsung, Ericsson, MediaTek, Opera Software, Nokia and Qualcomm) that plans to bring affordable access to selected Internet services to less developed countries by increasing efficiency, and facilitating the development of new business models around the provision of Internet access.
