Free Basics is available in a few dozen countries in Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America, but the controversy extends beyond India.
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During the campaign, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India criticised Facebook for encouraging the public to demand access to its Free Basics service, a move which saw the regulatory body receive more than 2m messages, the vast majority of which were identical.
The order arrives just over a month after TRAI instructed Facebook’s telecom partner for the program, Reliance Communications, to suspend the Free Basics program.
The service, which offers users free access to certain online messaging, job-finding, weather forecasting and news services, was temporarily closed by regulators in India at the end of 2015.
The action is the result of a new regulation released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), BBC News reported Monday.
Critics said the program put homegrown Internet services at a disadvantage. The controversial Free Basics program, one of Mark Zuckerberg’s signature projects, has been effectively blocked by the regulations. “It (Free Basics) was a tool to connect the billion of unconnected people in India”, Mathews contended.
Another way to look at Monday’s decision (via TechCrunch): “While this may be a victory for net neutrality supporters, others might see it as a step back for the wider growth of smartphone usage in the country, where a large part of the population can not afford services without subsidies”.
“The notification is in support of the government’s focus on start-up and internet penetration, without compromising on access to content”, Gartner India research director Amresh Nandan said in a statement.
In their statement, TRAI said the ruling was created to ensure that consumers would get “unhindered and non-discriminatory access to the internet”.
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There may be exemptions to the ruling allowing for free or cheaper data packages in case of emergencies, TRAI said, adding that the policy may be reviewed every two years or sooner. Once it resumed Facebook embarked on a $45m promotional spree for Free Basics in newspaper ads and on billboards.
