Roughly 6 billion people have access to mobile communications, but fewer than half that number have access to the Internet. Leadering companies from across the mobile ecosystem have joined Facebook in an initiative called internet.org that aims to connect billions more to the Internet.
“We believe affordable connectivity and Internet access improves people’s lives and helps build a more sustainable planet and therefore we are excited to participate in the internet.org initiative,” said Ericsson president and CEO Hans Vestberg. Ericsson is joined by Samsung, Qualcomm, Nokia, MediaTek, Opera and other unnamed partners who will be part of Facebook’s initiative.
Lowering the cost of mobile devices is an important part of the group’s plan. Samsung and Nokia, the world’s number one and number two mobile phone vendors, will be key partners here. Since components are of course the biggest determinant of price, having three of the world’s top five mobile chipmakers on board is also important. Samsung, Qualcomm and MediaTek are all top suppliers of mobile chipsets. MediaTek in particular has emerged as a leading provider of low-cost solutions for entry-level phones in emerging markets.
“Global Internet and social media access represent the biggest shift since the industrial revolution, and we want to make it all-inclusive,” said MK Tsai, chairman of Taiwan’s MediaTek.
The internet.org group also aims to make delivery of mobile broadband more efficient through improved network capabilities. In addition to Ericsson, the consortium counts NSN as a partner, since NSN is now wholly owned by Nokia.
Zuckerberg said in a blog post that overall he wants to see people using less data, not more. His group’s goal, he says, is to “improve the efficiency of the apps and experiences we use.”
