Facebook leads Internet.org initiative to spread Internet access

Engadget writes Facebook teamed up with Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm, and Samsung to create Internet.org, a new initiative that aims to spread the Internet to the two-thirds of the world that doesn't have Internet access. The goal is to make Internet access more affordable, while bolstering projects to lend businesses a hand to increase access and also reducing bandwidth requirements of popular apps.

When it comes to cost cutting, the group aims to develop and use tech that allows for cheaper connectivity, such as affordable high-quality smartphones. As for data efficiency, the team may investigate compression tools and caching systems to help ease the load on fledgling networks. In fact, Facebook is already working on reducing its Android app's daily data usage from 12MB a day to just 1MB. Lastly, the organization intends to look into sustainable business models that sweeten the pot for everyone from developers to mobile operators to pitch in for the cause. Connecting roughly 5 billion people to the web is a tall order by any standard, but Facebook and Co. are drawing inspiration from their successful Open Compute Project to give themselves a fighting chance.