Facebook has commercially launched its Express Wi-Fi service in India. The company has partnered with Indian operator Bharti Airtel, which plans to bring an additional 20,000 hotspots online, starting in the next few months, TechCrunch reports. For its Express Wi-Fi project in India, Facebook is also working with ISPs AirJaldi in Uttarakhand, LMES in Rajasthan, Tikona in Gujarat and soon with Shaildhar in Meghalaya.
Facebook previously launched its Wi-Fi service commercially in Kenya and it is also trialing it in Tanzania, Nigeria and Indonesia.
According to James Beldock, Facebook’s product manager for Express Wi-Fi, the project is designed to create an entrepreneurial grassroots base for the service. That means Airtel and its other ISP partners will continue this work with local entrepreneurs who want to resell internet access to their communities. “Our strategy has always been that these programs work if they are financially sustainable for the partners we work with”, Beldock said, adding that while Facebook provides the software, the ISPs and their partners will decide what to charge. “Facebook’s strategy is to enable partners to make connectivity at scale sustainable, not to dictate pricing”, Beldock also said.
