South African Cell C subscribers can now have free access to Facebook and 30 other sites through the use of Internet.org. This means that the subscribers do not have to pay for data when they access these healthcare and job sites.
According to Markku Makelainen, Facebook’s director of global operator partnerships in an interview on Wednesday, this service will be available from July. He also said that this is a method for users who want to try out free basic services on the Internet, to do it without any cost and then basically move up the ladder to paid services. He went on to add “We want to take away the fear of use. Less than half of the population is connected.”
Internet.org is a Facebook-led initiative bringing together technology leaders, nonprofits and local communities to connect the two thirds of the world that doesn’t have internet access. Though led by Facebook, it also includes six more companies Samsung, Ericsson, MediaTek, Opera Software, Nokia and Qualcomm.
