Facebook Next Lined Up Project, To Expand Internet Access Worldwide, Reaching More Users In Africa and Asia.
Facebook will be expanding Internet access worldwide, reaching more users in Africa and Asia.
Dumb Out.com reported that on Friday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg in an event sponsored by Mexican billionaire Carlson Slim announced the plans.
"Even if it means that Facebook has to spend billions of dollars over the next decade making this happen, I believe that over the long term it's gonna be a good thing for us and for the world," Zuckerburg was quoted in a Reuters report as saying.
The expansion for Facebook, which is touted still the most popular social media network worldwide is making the plan happen through collaboration with African and Asian foreign phone companies by launching Internet.org last year.
Zuckerburg said Internet access spur economic and business growth.
In July, Facebook launched its Internet.org app, which according to its new release in its website will "internet accessible to more people by providing a set of free basic services."
The Internet.org app was first rolled out in Zambia and will also be underway in other parts of the world.
Facebook has over 1 billion users, a big slice of the expected Internet users by 2014 of 3 billion, according to International Telecommunications Union (ITU) statistics.
Facebook's WhatsApp users worldwide as of August 2014 is more than 600 million monthly active users, The service is one of the most popular mobile apps worldwide, according to Statista.com.
Facebook bought What'sApp for a whopping $19 billion. What's App is a mobile messaging app, it has been in the business for five years until Facebook purchased it this year.
Zuckerburg in his announcement said WhatsApp would be instrumental in getting more people all over the world connected through the Internet.
The CEO's visit to Mexico is also a way of promoting the business in the country which according to Zuckerburg post on Facebook, only 50 percent of the country is connected to the Internet.