Indian Regulators Put Facebook's Free Basic Services On Hold

(RTTNews) - Media reports suggest that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has asked telecom major Reliance Communications (RCom), Facebook's sole operator partner in India, to keep the commercial roll out of Facebook's free internet platform, Free Basics, in abeyance, till the issue on differential pricing is sorted out.

The regulator has sought details of terms and conditions of the service from RCom as it falls under differential pricing of data by operators.

Facebook launched the Internet.org project initiative in India in February by partnering with RCom, which offers the Free Basics service under a 'Freenet' button on mobile phones.

So far, Internet.org has relied on partnerships with local telco operators in more than 30 countries to provide free internet service.

Facebook has already launched an email campaign calling on users in India to save Free Basics after internet activists supporting net neutrality and running the SaveTheInternet coalition intensified their attack on its campaign.

Facebook also issued full-page advertisements in leading newspapers, claiming that 3.2 million people have sent petitions in support of Free Basics in India.