“We’re disappointed that Free Basics will no longer be available in Egypt”, said Facebook in an official statement to the Associated Press.
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The program, which was launched in over 35 developing countries across the globe, offers a pared-down web service for mobile phones, as well as access to the social network of the company and its messaging services, without any charge.
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With the raging debate on the issue of Net neutrality, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has received over 18 lakh responses from stakeholders to its consultation paper on differential pricing for data services, the regulator said on Thursday. According to Internet activists, this model violates the principle of Net neutrality as it restricts access to free, open Internet for users, making the paper key to the ongoing debate on Net neutrality in the country.
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While the reason behind Egypt’s ban is still unclear, it more than likely has to do with the criticisms concerning Free Basics and net neutrality. Consultation paper always asks a question, seeking responses with justification.
It is not the first time Facebook’s Free Basics service has run into trouble.
This has, therefore, prompted TRAI to extend the deadline of receiving the comments on its Consultation Paper to January 7, instead of December 30 and review of the comments to January 14 from January 7. However, a majority of these responses -around 14 lakh – did not provide any answer to the questions posed by the regulator, and supported Free Basics. The deadlines won’t be extended again, it added.
The hiatus of Free Basics in Egypt comes just two months after telecom provider Etisalat Egypt began offering the service. “We have told one of the operators who had submitted its tariff plans and had asked the operator to put this particular product (Free Basics) in abayence… that operator has given us in writing that they have put their commercial launch of the product in abeyance”, Sharma said.
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Critics argue that it will create a tiered system of information, where the wealthy can pay for full access to the internet as a whole, while the poor will be restricted to the sites that Free Basics allows.
