Facebook’s controversial ‘Free Basics’ platform is not free any more Days after telecom regulator Trai cracked the whip on free-rated Platforms and prohibited differential pricing, Reliance Communications (RCom) – Face- books India partner for the interface has decided to make it a paid platform. The decision defeats Facebook’s stated objective of providing a free of-cost platform to connect millions of people who are not on the Internet. The sources told TOI that the decision — termed a “disappointment by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. was take immediately after Trai rejected differential data prices and imposed a penalty for violations on Monday. Facebook did not respond to questionnaires on the issue. A spokesperson for the Anil Ambani-owned RCOM, however confirmed the development. “To be fully compliant with the new regulations announced by RCom has already begun the process of re-configuring access to FreeBasics, from the current free regime tea chargeable one, as per the exciting data plans of our customers,” the spokesperson said, pointing out that it will be billed as per a customer’s mobile internet or data plan.
The transition will be completed soon. “The extensive technical configurations involved will be completed In the next few days, the RCom spokesperson said. The development comes in as a huge set back for Facebook and Zuckerberg who had been pushing the free, lighter-version platform (called Internet .org earlier) across developing nations. “While we d1sap pointed with the decision. I want to personally communicate that we are committed to keep working to break down barriers to connectivity In India and around the wax-id. Intern et.org has many Initiatives and we will keep working until everyone has access to the internet,” the Facebook founder had said after Trai’s decision. While the decision to go for a paid platform comes in now sources said RCom was already preparing for this eventuality Trai had, around two months back, asked the telco to put Free Basics in “abeyance” till a decision was taken on the Issue of differential tariffs. A proposed “commercial launch” had been put on hold by the telecom company in view of Trai’s earlier directive, a source said.
The company had managed to garner around 10 lakh users for the Free Basics platform, though it had not pushed the scheme strongly across the various telecom circles where It operated. However, Facebook had been pushing the platform aggressively over the past few months, and Is understood to have spent around Rs 150 crore on a Publicity blitzkrieg after Trai came out with a constitution paper on differential pricing in December Facebook has now thrown open the Free Basics platform as a paid version across the various telecom networks, not restricting it to RCom. It is available on regular Internet usage through the networks of operators such as Rharti Airtel and Vodafone, though there Is no commercial or other arrangement between the companies. The websites available on the paid version of the Free Basics platform come under the categories of communication; learning, sports and entertainment; news & weather; women & girls jobs; and health & safety The lighter-version websites include Facebook, Aaj Tek, Accu weather and amarujala.com.
In a tariff order – Prohibition of Discrlni1natoij Tariffs Fbr Data Services Regulations -Trai had on Monday prohibited any type of differential tariffs “discriminatory”. The decision had also meant the end of Bharti Airtel Zero platform. The objection to Free Basics stems from the fact that It offers only handful of selected web- sites as free even as the larger part of the internet remains absent from the platform. The platform was dubbed a “walled garden” by a committee of the Department of Telecom (DoT) last year.
