Uninor, ealier this month announced limited-time free access to Wikipedia for its mobile data subscribers in India through a partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation. The free access to Wikipedia will be available for three months starting April 1, 2015. The initiative which is part of the ongoing efforts of Uninor to fulfill its 'Internet for All' ambition, brings access to a collection of free knowledge from Wikipedia to mobile users even when they can’t afford the cost of data charges.
As part of the programme, Uninor said that the company's employees will engage with students and teachers to spread awareness on digital literacy with special focus on Wikipedia in the rural areas.
Uninor, a fully owned subsidiary of Norway-based Telenor Group plans to have 50% of its users on Internet by 2017. Last year, Uninor introduced service-based plans for Facebook and WhatsApp for its subscribers - Facebook at Rs 0.5 per hour and Rs. 1 for a day of WhatsApp.
The free Wikipedia access to subscribers in India follows the group's similar initiative which was started in 2012 across its footprint in Asia and Eastern Europe including Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Montenegro.
Vivek Sood, CEO, Uninor
By giving free access to Wikipedia, Uninor will be able to put this repository of knowledge in the hands of the masses and empower the society. The partnership will unleash the true potential of the Internet by giving access to unlimited information to our Internet users. It is in line with our Internet for All strategy and an extension of our Sabse Sasta proposition for relevant content for the mass market. The free access to Wikipedia will spread the magic of knowledge and is a testimony to our efforts towards bringing affordable Internet within easy reach of all our customers.
Carolynne Schloeder, Director of Mobile Partnerships at the Wikimedia Foundation
In Uninor, we have a partner that shares our vision of access to free knowledge for everybody. By promoting free access to Wikipedia, Uninor is spreading awareness and opening doors to information to people who might otherwise not have access to it.
