KATHMANDU: In a recent development in the information technology sector of the country, Facebook, the world’s largest social networking site, has started its Express Wi-fi service in Nepal.
It announced that the service is being provided at 7,500 public places for the first time in the country in collaboration with the country’s biggest internet service provider (ISP), WorldLink Communication Ltd.
Organising a press meet on Thursday, WorldLink informed that the collaboration will help in providing affordable, reliable and high-speed public wi-fi service in the country. For this, Facebook will provide the necessary equipment and infrastructure to WorldLink.
“We had been providing internet service to the public but we didn’t have the required software. So, we are collaborating with Facebook to fill this void,” said WorldLink’s Chairman as well as Managing Director Dileep Agrawal.
The company’s Chief Technology Officer Sumit Jain said, “Facebook will provide a software platform and we will be using our own access point, network and bandwidth.”
According to the company, Facebook will provide cloud-based software to WordLink for the Express Wi-fi service.
Facekbook’s Karan Khara said that the Express Wi-fi service has been started as half of the world’s population still lacks access to internet service. Facebook has been collaborating with local ISPs in different countries to make the service available, however, in Asia the service is being made available only in India and Nepal at present.
Meanwhile, WorldLink has also announced that it will provide free internet service for two hours a day for all devices across the country if it is able to get the necessary frequency. Stating that the government has not provided frequency to the ISP for a long time, Agrawal informed that it has requested the government to provide the frequency so that the general public can benefit from the service.
Citing that the company has been providing free wi-fi service in 10,000 sites since the last three years, the company’s CEO Keshab Nepal said the collaboration with Facebook will support in the free service campaign.
Till date, users had to frequently change their password but with this collaboration they will now able to use the service for 15 to 2 hours by using just one password, the company informed. It also said that the service will be available even after the time limit is over.
WorldLink plans to expand it free wi-fi service across 30,000 locations in the country in the near future.