Meta's Budget WiFi Program for Developing Countries is being Phased Down

Meta’s Express Wi-Fi initiative, which partnered with local communities, cell providers, and enterprises to deliver low-cost internet in underdeveloped nations, is coming to an end. It wasn’t free like Meta’s unsuccessful Free Basics initiative, which was thrown down by Indian courts for violating net neutrality. Instead, it was supposed to be low-cost, with 100MB starting at roughly 15 cents and 20GB at $5.

In India, South Africa, and the Philippines, Facebook teamed with satellite providers, ISPs, and others. Instead of Facebook, retailers were permitted to offer hotspots at acceptable pricing determined by them and the operator. Of course, Meta would get access to new customers who would likely create Facebook accounts. Like Google, the majority of the company’s recent growth has come from underdeveloped nations where people are just going online.

The Wall Street Journal recently revealed that bugs in Meta’s free internet services were causing unexpected charges for subscribers in Pakistan. On its free-data Discover service, Meta was also said to be prioritizing its own content over that of other websites.

While Express Wi-Fi is being phased down, Meta said it is focused on other internet-related initiatives. “While we are concluding our work on this program to focus on developing other projects, a Meta representative said in a statement, we remain committed to working with partners across the telecom ecosystem to deliver better connectivity.” It pledged to collaborate with Express Wi-Fi partners to “minimize the impact to their businesses while keeping networks running.”