Internet giants Facebook and Google announced at the Mobile World Congress their plans to tap into the “unconnected” population through partnerships that can help provide global internet access for all.
According to the companies’ research, around 4 billion people in the world don’t have access to an internet connection. This translates to roughly half of the world’s population that remains disconnected from the world wide web. To solve this, both Facebook and Google want to partner up with different companies and agencies to bring them closer to their goal.
While it may seem like a noble cause for the internet behemoths, the truth is far less optimistic. The two companies hope that by giving half of the world’s population a chance to access public wi-fi through the development of necessary infrastructures and systems, eventually, they can turn them into paying users for future services or products. This is part of the growth strategy that these companies have recently implemented.
In an exclusive report on Business Insider, Facebook mentions some of its more specific actions. It has partnered up with different network providers from various countries like Globe, Vodafone, and CellC from the Philippines, Ghana, and South Africa respectively, in order to provide free public wi-fi for all, the Express Wifi. Facebook is also partnering with Aruba, Edgecore Networks, and Nokia to develop the Express Wifi further.
Meanwhile, Google is partnering with Cisco to bring internet access to more people, specifically those in communities with a limited connection.
