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Facebook's Internet.org app goes to Tanzania

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 29 Oct 2014
Facebook aims to boost Internet access to 100% of the world.
Facebook aims to boost Internet access to 100% of the world.

Tanzanian operator Tigo is teaming up with Facebook to provide millions of Tanzanians with affordable Internet and free access to some basic online services through the Internet.org app.

Tigo is also offering customers the opportunity to purchase affordable smartphones, and will offer free access to a number of educational, health, news and social communication sites via the Internet.org app.

The Internet.org app, available from today, offers Tigo subscribers access to:

AccuWeather
BabyCenter & Mama
BBC News and BBC Swahili
BrighterMonday
The Citizen
Facebook
Facts for Life (a UNICEF product)
Girl Effect
Messenger
Mwananchi
Mwanaspoti
OLX
Shule Direct
SuperSport
Tanzania Today
Wikipedia

Tigo's partnership, which follows one between Airtel and Facebook in Zambia, is a bid to get more Tanzanians online, says David Zacharia, Tigo's head of data and devices.

Zacharia anticipates the partnership will accelerate Internet penetration in the country and open new socio-economic opportunities to users in the fields of education, technology, and commerce. A recent report by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) shows the number of Internet users in Tanzania increased from 7.5 million in 2012 to 9.3 million by June 2014 - equivalent to 18% penetration.

Tigo, through its owner Millicom, has worked with Facebook in both Tanzania and Paraguay to offer free access to Facebook. Andrew Bocking, Internet.org project manager, says expanding the project beyond just free Facebook and providing more people with affordable access to technology and tools will allow it to accelerate the process of connecting everyone.

Internet.org is a Facebook-led initiative with the goal of making affordable Internet access available to the two-thirds of the world who are not yet connected and to bring the same opportunities to everyone that the connected third of the world has today.

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