Meta’s decision to phase out its low-cost Express Wi-Fi internet, launched five years ago to boost connectivity in underserved areas, has had the most significant impact on countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Meta (formerly Facebook) has quietly announced that the programme will be phased out later this year. However, in other countries, such as Kenya, the service has been suspended since mid-December 2020.
Meta partnered with satellite operator Eutelsat Konnect to expand the low-cost internet service in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Cameroon, Ghana, Madagascar, South Africa, Ghana and Uganda less than a year ago.
Malawi, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Senegal were among the over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, and South America where the Express Wi-Fi programme was live.
The social media giant collaborated with ISPs and mobile network operators to connect people through Wi-Fi hotspots in public places such as markets and facilities in rural and urban areas. The partners would set the price of internet bundles sold by retailers or agents.
The programme aimed to bridge the internet gap in emerging markets like Africa, where connectivity is the lowest globally.
According to the GSMA mobile economy study for 2021, roughly 28 per cent of the Sub-Saharan Africa population is connected to mobile internet. In comparison, other regions of the world, such as Europe, have over 80 per cent connectedness. The goal of Meta’s Express-Wi-Fi project was to remedy this internet void.
In what appears to be a shift in approach, Meta is now extending its 45,000 km 2Africa subsea cable throughout Africa, Asia and Europe as part of its low-cost internet strategy.
In addition, Google is building Equiano, a subsea cable that will connect Africa and Europe, running through South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria, and St Helena. Connectivity is projected to increase as more internet infrastructure is created.
Africa’s internet economy, according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has the potential to reach US$180 billion by 2025, accounting for 5.2 per cent of the continent’s GDP, owing to the growing digital consumption, urbanisation, and smartphone penetration.
