Facebook, Airtel launch Express Wi-Fi in India

Facebook today announced the commercial launch of Express Wi-Fi in India. Express Wi-Fi is part of Facebook's global initiative to spread internet connectivity. The company started testing Express Wi-Fi in India in 2015 and have been working with internet services providers and over 500 local entrepreneur retailers since then.


The service commercially available through nearly 700 hotspots across the four Indian states of Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Meghalaya. Express Wi-Fi is currently live in five countries—India, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Indonesia.

Social media giant Facebook has partnered with country's largest telecom player Airtel to deploy 20,000 internet hotspots through Facebook's Express Wi-Fi service in India. These hotspots will be installed by the company in the coming few months.

Express Wi-Fi is designed to complement mobile data offerings by providing a low-cost, high bandwidth alternative for getting online and access apps, download and stream content. The Express Wi-Fi partnerships empower local Indian entrepreneurs to start businesses to offer internet access to their town or region.

The number of Express Wi-Fi hotspots in India rapidly. India has a population of about 1.3 billion people, but according to the Regulatory body TRAI’s Performance Indicator Report, only 390 million people are connected to the internet.

Ajai Puri, chief operating officer (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel said "We are delighted to be a part of this initiative to provide affordable access to high speed data to users across India, particularly in the underserved segment. We believe this will help in empowering millions of Indians by bringing them online and contribute to the Government's Digital India vision.


Wi-Fi network by signing up with an Express Wi-Fi retailer and purchasing a daily, weekly or monthly data pack at a rate set by the partners. They will then be able to connect to the Express Wi-Fi hotspot, register/create an account, login and start browsing or use any app on the entire internet.

Announced partnership with Airtel, Express Wi-Fi has been deployed in partnership with ISPs AirJaldi in Uttarakhand, LMES in Rajasthan, Tikona in Gujarat, and soon with Shaildhar in Meghalaya.


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