Facebook and Reliance to provide free access to 38 websites with Internet.org app

Telecom operator Reliance Communications and Facebook today announced a tie-up to provide free access to 38 websites – an initiative that aims to encourage more people to use the Internet.

India, the world’s second-biggest mobile market, will become the first country in Asia to get the new Internet.org app, which targets mobile phone users.

These websites are across eight categories– social media, news, career, education and knowledge, sports, health and social welfare and search engine Bing. The free websites include Facebook, ecommerce portal OLX, Cleartrip, TimesJobs, Babajob and sports website ESPN Cricinfo.

“About 70 per cent of people in India don’t have access to Internet. We need to connect a billion people to the Internet.

The service has been initially launched for Reliance customers in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

“We are committed to launching it on pan-India level within 90 days,” RCom Chief Executive Officer for consumer Business, Gurdeep Singh said.

Most of the services will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati and Marathi.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a video message said that last year his organisation had rolled out Internet.org free basic services to countries with more than 150 million people total across Africa and Latin America and more than 6 million people, who were not connected to the Internet, are now connected with it.

“But to continue connecting the world, we have to connect India. More than a billion people in India don’t have access to the Internet. Today’s announcement is just one step towards changing that,” Zuckerberg said.