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Line 25: − + + + − − Facebook also noted that all developers are free to add to their apps to the Free Basics platform, as long as they met technical criteria. By 2015 September, over 30 Indian partners had signed up to offer services, such as English Dost, MeraDoctor, M-Kisan, My Rights, and SkyMet.<ref name="opening"></ref>
→India
===India===
===India===
When Facebook first began operations in India, only 15% of its population of 1.1 billion people had access to the internet.<ref name="youtube"></ref> While Free Basics' potential in India seemed large, it was from the country in 2016 February, "discriminatory tariffs for data services", aka zero rating".<ref name="india">[http://www.engadget.com/2016/02/08/india-bans-zero-rating-internet-schemes/ India bans Facebook's 'Free Basics' service], EnGadget.com. Published 2016 February 8. Retrieved 2016 April 20.</ref> This came after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) called for Reliance Communications, Facebook's Indian telecom partner, to stop Free Basics in 2015 December. In response, the company reportedly spent millions on advertising and had an op-ed published by CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the Times of India.<ref name="india"></ref>
When Facebook first began operations in India, only 15% of its population of 1.1 billion people had access to the internet.<ref name="youtube"></ref> Free Basics' potential in India had initially seemed quite large.In 2015 September, Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi had said in a town hall at Facebook's headquarters that "India has 600,000 villages, and most people get scared when they hear this number. My vision is to connect them all with optical fiber cable in the next five years.<ref name="mashable">[http://mashable.com/2016/02/09/why-facebook-free-basics-failed-india/ Why India rejected Facebook's 'free' version of the Internet], Mashable.com. Published 2016 February 9. Retrieved 2016 April 23.</ref>
Nonetheless, in 2016 February, Free Basics was banned from the cotnyr for "discriminatory tariffs for data services", aka zero rating".<ref name="india">[http://www.engadget.com/2016/02/08/india-bans-zero-rating-internet-schemes/ India bans Facebook's 'Free Basics' service], EnGadget.com. Published 2016 February 8. Retrieved 2016 April 20.</ref> This came after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) called for Reliance Communications, Facebook's Indian telecom partner, to stop Free Basics in 2015 December. In response, the company reportedly spent millions on advertising and had an op-ed published by CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the Times of India.<ref name="india"></ref>
This main criticism -- that Free Basics had a limited number of partners and only a single service provider -- was one that Facebook contested. According to Chris Daniels, Vice President of Internet.org, "There is no exclusivity with Reliance in India. There are other telecom operators who are interested, but it seems the criticism has slowed down the conversation. Reliance is just our first partner in India and there are countries where we have multiple partners."<ref name="opening"></ref>
This main criticism -- that Free Basics had a limited number of partners and only a single service provider -- was one that Facebook contested. According to Chris Daniels, Vice President of Internet.org, "There is no exclusivity with Reliance in India. There are other telecom operators who are interested, but it seems the criticism has slowed down the conversation. Reliance is just our first partner in India and there are countries where we have multiple partners."<ref name="opening"></ref>
===Egypt===
===Egypt===