Facebook makes Express Wi-Fi commercial; Signs with Airtel for 20,000 hotspots

Facebook has made Express Wi-Fi commercial in states of Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Gujarat where it has signed with local ISPs and rolled out 700 hotspots.

The company has also signed up with over 500 local entrepreneurs in these states for selling of coupons for spreading Internet connectivity in rural areas. People can access Express Wi-Fi network by signing up with an Express Wi-Fi retailer and purchasing a daily, weekly or monthly data pack.

The company has also partnered with Bharti Airtel to launch an additional 20,000 hotspots over the next few months to provide affordable and quality broadband connectivity. Bharti Airtel will provide backhaul and also install wireless access points pan India in rural areas for providing Wi-Fi hotspots.

Express Wi-Fi is part of Facebook's global initiative to spread internet connectivity. Facebook started testing Express Wi-Fi in India in 2015 and it is currently live in five countries—India, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Indonesia.

Ajai Puri, Chief Operating Officer (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel, said, “We are delighted to be a part of this initiative to provide affordable access to high speed data to users across India, particularly in the underserved segment. We believe this will help in empowering millions of Indians by bringing them online and contribute to the government’s Digital India vision.”

In addition to our newly announced partnership with Airtel, Express Wi-Fi has been deployed in partnership with ISPs AirJaldi in Uttarakhand, LMES in Rajasthan, Tikona in Gujarat, and soon with Shaildhar in Meghalaya.