The social networking giant, Facebook has tied up with its telecom partner, Reliance Communications to provide Free Internet across India. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg today announced that the company’s Internet.org initiative will now be accessible nationwide on the Reliance network. Keeping up with its promise to provide free Internet for those who cannot afford it in India, Facebook has expanded its controversial ‘Free Basics’ initiative all over India to offer basic Internet access with its telecom partner Reliance Communications (RCom).

Facebook has launched Free Basics, earlier called ‘Internet.org’, in India with Reliance Communications to provide free Internet access to about 32 apps and websites in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Goa. The number of such free apps and websites has now been increased to over 80. The service that operates from the Free Basics app which is available on Android smartphones was launched earlier this year. Facebook’s Free Basics Initiative has confronted a lot of controversy about the net neutrality issue.

Facebook Offers Free Internet Access All Over India Via RCom

Internet.org was launched in partnership with the Reliance network and it was only made available in some areas across India for those who cannot afford internet access. They can freely access Internet services related to some categories that include health jobs, education, and communication. Internet.org is currently live in more than 24 countries with 15 million users.

“We just took another step towards connecting India. As of today, everyone in India nationwide can access free Internet services for health, education, jobs and communication through Internet.org’s Free Basics app on the Reliance network,” wrote Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a post on Monday.

In his post, CEO Mark Zuckerberg also pointed out his motivation for driving Internet access throughout India. He gave an instance of how basic internet access can serve the common man. In his example, Mark Zuckerberg describes the story of a farmer named Ganesh Nimbalkar from Maharashtra. In his post, he explained how basic internet access or Free Basics app has benefitted the farmer that doubled his crop yield despite being a region that is often plagued by droughts. Through this app, he got a better deal which eradicated insect infestations and invest in new crops and livestock.

“Ganesh struggled with traditional farming methods in a region plagued by droughts, but last year he started using Free Basics – accessing services like AccuWeather, which helped him work better through the monsoon season, and Reuters Market Light, which helped him understand commodity prices and get a better deal for his crops,” Zuckerberg wrote.

Zuckerberg also said nearly one billion people are currently without Internet access in India. “Free Basics by Facebook” provides people with access to websites of useful services like news, employment, health, education and local information on their mobile phones for free in markets where Internet access may be less affordable. Besides India, Free Basics is available in 30 countries throughout Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America.