[1st-mile-nm] Internet.org: A Facebook Initiative To Connect The Unconnected

[Richard Lowenberg]

This story is being reported widely today, and we'll continue to see 
more on this.
The 10 page Facebook issued report is attached.
RL


http://www.ibtimes.com/internetorg-facebook-initiative-connect-unconnected-1393301

Internet.org: A Facebook Initiative To Connect The Unconnected
By Kukil Bora
on August 21 2013

Facebook and six other tech companies join hands to make the Internet 
accessible to billions of people around the world, who are still not 
connected. Reuters

Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), on Tuesday, announced that it has partnered with 
Samsung (KRX:005930), Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and four other companies to 
launch a project called Internet.org, to make the worldwide web 
available to two-thirds of the planet still not connected to the 
Internet.

According to Facebook, only 2.7 billion people -- just over a third of 
the world's population -- around the world currently have access to the 
Internet. And, the goal of Internet.org is to connect the remaining five 
billion people and provide the same opportunities enjoyed by those in 
the connected third of the world.

“There are huge barriers in developing countries to connecting and 
joining the knowledge economy,” Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of 
Facebook, said in a statement. “Internet.org brings together a global 
partnership that will work to overcome these challenges, including 
making internet access available to those who cannot currently afford 
it.”

The Internet.org project, which includes other players such as Ericsson 
(NASDAQ:ERIC), MediaTek (TPE:2454), Opera (OTCMKTS:OPESF) and Qualcomm 
(NASDAQ:QCOM), will also rope in NGOs, academics and experts over time 
to develop joint projects, and mobilize industry and governments to 
bring the world online.

“Our industry is now at an exciting inflection point where Internet 
connectivity is becoming more affordable and efficient for consumers 
while still offering them great experiences,” Stephen Elop, Nokia’s 
president and CEO, said in a statement. “Universal internet access will 
be the next great industrial revolution.”

Zuckerberg said about one billion people in the world currently use 
smartphones, and with the prices of smartphones coming down, more people 
are expected to use such high-end handsets over the next five years. 
However, getting a smartphone does not necessarily mean that those 
people will also have access to the Internet, because data plans in many 
countries remain unaffordable for a majority of the population.

According to Zuckerberg, the Internet.org project will focus on three 
key challenges in developing countries -- making Internet access 
affordable, using data more efficiently and helping businesses drive 
Internet access. Potential projects may also include collaborations to 
develop lower-cost, higher-quality smartphones.

“This new initiative has big potential to help accelerate access to the 
Internet for everyone,” JK Shin, CEO and president of the IT & Mobile 
Communications division at Samsung Electronics, said in the statement.

The Internet.org project is similar to efforts by other technology 
giants such as Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), aimed 
at boosting Internet penetration, which in turn could potentially open 
up demand for the products and services of these companies in 
underserved markets.

In June, Google launched Project Loon, a small network of balloons over 
the Southern Hemisphere as part of an experiment to bring reliable 
Internet access to the world's most remote regions. Microsoft announced, 
in February, that it was collaborating with the Kenyan government and a 
local Internet service provider to offer broadband access using unused 
television spectrum and solar-powered base stations in Africa.

The Internet.org website is currently live and provides an overview of 
its mission and goals, and in coming weeks, it is expected to feature 
interviews with technology leaders and experts, along with the latest 
news on the project's progress.




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Richard Lowenberg, Executive Dir.
1st-Mile Institute, 505-603-5200
P.O.Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
www.1st-mile.org  rl at 1st-mile.org
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