Facebook ties up with Airtel; launches 20,000 pay-to-use Express WiFi hotspots

Barely a year after Facebook pulled the plug on its Free Basics program after widespread pushback across India, the company, on Thursday, commercially launched its latest product. Facebook, under its Internet.org programme, has officially launched its 'Express WiFi' service in association with telecom giant Airtel.

"Express WiFi is designed to complement mobile data offerings by providing a low-cost, high-bandwidth alternative for getting online and access apps, download and stream content," wrote Munish Seth, regional head Asia-Pacific region of Facebook Connectivity Solutions.

Essentially, Facebook is giving internet access to millions for an 'affordable' fee. Facebook had started testing Express WiFi as far back as 2015. Currently, the service is available in just four cities - Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Meghalaya - and just over 700 hotspots have been installed.

In these cities, the programme is working with local entrepreneurs and internet service providers. Facebook has now tied up with Airtel to set up 20,000 of these hotspots across the nation. Apart from Airtel, Facebook is in talks with government-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to set up hotspots for them as well.

The goal for Facebook is to launch these public hotspots in rural parts of the country, and bring those citizens on the internet who typically wouldn't have access. Tying up with telecom companies is a no-brainer. Facebook can handle the back-end technology while the telcos can deal with on-ground work.

Users can buy daily, weekly, or monthly packs and access the internet without restriction, unlike with Free Basics. The data vouchers will be sold by local entrepreneurs the company has tied up with, and will be priced at Rs 10 to Rs 20 for daily packs, and Rs 200 to Rs 300 for monthly packs. These vouchers can be purchased both offline and online.

Before India, Facebook had launched similar programmes in Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Indonesia

Facebook & India

For Facebook, India is the second largest market despite all the flack the social network got over its Free Basics programme. As of April, for which latest data is available, the company had 184 million active users in the country, and about 50% of them check the website daily. WhatsApp, the company it bought over for almost $20 billion, is also a huge success in the country. WhatsApp has more than 200 million active users.

What was Free Basics?

Facebook's Free Basics is a platform that offers free access to a limited portion of the internet, curated by the social networking giant themselves. According to Facebook, it was an 'open platform'. One that would give Indian developers the chance to offer their services and websites for free of cost to citizens that cannot afford to pay for the internet.

Free Basics ran afoul because it didn't offer unbiased and equal access for all to the internet. What Free Basics provided was preferential treatment and selective access to apps and services. Basically, Free Basics clashed with the very essence of net neutrality.

At the time, Facebook had launched Free Basics in the country in partnership with Reliance Communications.

Google WiFi

Google launched their WiFi hotspots, in partnership with State-run ISP RailTel, to push their free WiFi to over 100 railway stations this year. Analysts have likened Facebook's push for free internet to Google's. Both Google and Facebook don't want to get into the internet service business, but a larger base of citizens having access to the internet will benefit both companies hugely.

What's different

Free Basics provided a restricted but free access to the internet. Express WiFi provides an "affordable" but unrestricted access to the internet. This time around, Facebook is trying to do the right thing and not upset the netizens of the country.

Facebook tried to paint a picture of a free of cost service that gave a selection of website to the citizens of this country. The people saw through it almost instantly and called out Facebook for being evil. That the company was trying to disrupt the free spirit of the internet.

Express WiFi tries to right the many wrongs of Free Basics. It gives access to an 'open internet' to remote areas of the country. It may end up benefiting Facebook as a company, but getting more people on the internet will also be seen as a humanitarian endeavour by the company.