{"id":2863,"date":"2022-02-15T07:34:27","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T07:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gospeedhub.com\/?p=2863"},"modified":"2022-02-15T18:13:06","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T18:13:06","slug":"meta-close-wifi-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gospeedhub.com\/blogs\/meta-close-wifi-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook Shuts Down Express Wi-Fi Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After five years in operation, Meta, Facebook&#8217;s parent company, is reportedly shutting down its Express Wi-Fi program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta&#8217;s Express Wi-F<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/connectivity\/solutions\/express-wifi\">i<\/a> launched in 2016. It is designed to deliver low-cost internet services in developing countries, where forms of connectivity, like ADSL and fiber-optic, aren&#8217;t readily available; through partnerships with mobile operators, local communities, and businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, It was created as an improved version of Meta&#8217;s failed Free Basics Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, the service is active in over 30 countries across Africa, Asia, and South America. A notice statement issued by Meta said it plans to gradually wind down the internet program by the end of 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The statement further said, &#8220;<em>Together with our partners, we helped expand public Wi-Fi access for people in more than 30 countries via the Express Wi-Fi platform. While we are concluding our work on this program to focus on developing other projects, we remain committed to working with partners across the telecom ecosystem to deliver better connectivity.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, The decision was announced roughly a year after Meta partnered with Eutelsat Konnect to expand the low-cost internet service in parts of Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, South Africa, and Uganda.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eutelsat Konnect is a communications satellite operator designed by Thales Alenia Space in 2020 to provide broadband internet and communication coverage services to Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move has stirred conversations about the future of internet projects in Africa by big corporations, especially considering Google pulled a similar move by shutting down its Project Loon in Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta&#8217;s different endeavours were part of its efforts to bridge the internet gap in Africa, where connectivity is lowest across the globe. Presently, only about 30% of sub-Saharan Africa&#8217;s population utilizes mobile internet, according to the\u00a02021 GSMA mobile economy report.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nonetheless, the end of the Express Wi-Fi program signifies a change of heart in Meta&#8217;s decision to deliver low-cost internet across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Please visit us @GoSpeedHub on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gospeedhub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gospeedhub\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/gospeedhub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Twitter<\/a>&nbsp;for more information.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Image Source : Meta Connectivity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After five years in operation, Meta, Facebook&#8217;s parent company, is reportedly shutting down its Express Wi-Fi program. Meta&#8217;s&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_1331110278889566212_1331110278889566212":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_appearance_grid":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,6,22],"tags":[388,389,385,50,199,326,391,387,386,390,384],"class_list":["post-2863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile-technology","category-tech-news","category-the-future-of-tech","tag-africa","tag-eutelsat-konnect","tag-expresswifi","tag-facebook","tag-google","tag-gospeedhub","tag-internetsolutions","tag-low-cost-internet","tag-metasexpresswifi","tag-projectloon","tag-wifi","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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