Facebook has joined hands with five technology companies to establish internet.org, a global partnership with the goal of making Internet access available to the next five billion people.
Facebook, Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung would be the founding partners of the initiative.
“Everything Facebook has done has been about giving all people around the world the power to connect,” Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.
“There are huge barriers in developing countries to connecting and joining the knowledge economy. Internet.org brings together a global partnership that will work to overcome these challenges, including making Internet access available to all those who cannot currently afford it,” he said.
Today, around 2.7 billion people or one third of the world's population -- have access to the Internet. Internet adoption is growing at a slow pace of under nine per cent each year, according to a press statement.