Facebook-BSNL tie up for WiFi biz in rural India
Facebook plans to provide WiFi enabled broadband service under its Express WiFi initiative. A spokesperson of Facebook said local entrepreneurs can purchase inexpensive hardware and start business to offer internet access in their own region.
Social media giant Facebook is ready to storm the wi-fi market in rural India as an internet service provider (ISP) with data packages as low as Rs.10.
The company founded by Mark Zukerberg has purchased bandwidth from the state run telecom provider BSNL in 125 rural areas for a period of three years for Rs.10 crore for its WiFi foray, the Business Standard reported.
The business daily said consumers can access internet through WiFi hotspots, set up by BSNL’s partner QuadGen across the rural locations.
Facebook plans to provide WiFi enabled broadband service under its Express WiFi initiative. A spokesperson of Facebook said local entrepreneurs can purchase inexpensive hardware and start business to offer internet access in their own region.
India having around 130 million internet users is a big market for Facebook. He social media major’s tie up with BSNL has come in the midst of Zuckerberg’s visit to India in October last year, his second visit to the country in a year.
Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Facebook headquarters in California in USA in September last year.
Big Wire