After launching in Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Colombia, Internet.org has been launched Ghana on the Airtel network, making it the fifth country in a move expected to connect the whole world to the Internet.
The move expects to see more Ghanians online and more opportunities unlocked to them via connectivity.
“Today we’re launching Internet.org in Ghana — giving people on the Airtel network access to free basic internet services for education, health, jobs and communication,” Mark Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook profile. “Right now only about 12% of people in Ghana are connected to the internet, but connectivity is already improving people’s lives and communities.
“By connecting everyone, we hope to unlock even more opportunities for Ghana and people like Dauda Musa, pictured here,” Zuck added.
Internet.org was launched in August 2013 in a partnership that brought together Facebook, Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung with plans to take the Internet to the next 5 billion people who are not yet connected, and also give them the same opportunities like those available to those already conencted.
Internet.org’s main focus is to make and adopt technologies that make mobile connectivity more affordable and decrease the cost of delivering data to people worldwide such as lower-cost, higher-quality smartphones and partnerships to more broadly deploy internet access in underserved communities. The body also aims to reduce the amount of data required to use most apps and internet experiences and supporting news models that lead to increased access so as mobile operators, device manufacturers, developers and other businesses provide more affordable access than has previously been possible.
