You say this with so much confidence, which is true if you also mean it’s more good to Facebook than harm to Nigeria. Because that’s likely what this is.
And when you say vital web portals, what makes them vital? That they’re able to comply with Free Basics requirements, make them ‘vital’ in your eyes? Or you have another criteria?
Also that notion that less priviledged people will benefit is just spin. How do I know? Well, that’s why it’s important to look at what happened in India and consider why the evidence, don’t support that commonly held misconception.
I know it might be hard to believe but Facebook shouldn’t have the right to dictate, what the web should be. Free web is good enough for the west. Maybe it’s good enough for the developing world (like Nigeria & India) as well.
I respect every other thoughtful opinion being made against the free basics thing, but the thing is just that there isn’t any better alternative around
You know when you want to beat the hell out of a goat, all u need to do is to put salt in the mouth.
No matter how much u beat ham… he no go make noise.
for whatsoever reason attached to it being free. The day we see our data to be more precious than free 2mb internet, I think at that point, our goat don stop licking salt.
I don’t think network providers would fight against Freebasics, it is their infrastructure through which the service is delivered.
I believe they have an understanding with Facebook (so Facebook is covering some of the bandwidth cost).
Besides the whole making FB the “internet police” , in Nigeria the mobile operators don’t have the infrastructure to provide quality paid-for bandwidth, how much more taking on the bandwagon of “new” free users.
In my opinion whatever was left of Airtel network has been further downgraded lately.
