India's regulators have requested Facebook's only operator partner in the country to stop the Internet.org project, which provides free yet limited online access to developing countries through Free Basics. A major publication has reported that the regulatory body is taking up the issue whether telecom operators should have the ability to give services different prices based on content.
The Times of India had reported that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had requested that Reliance Communications stop the operations of its Internet.org project. Reliance Communications received a notice two weeks ago.
The report cited an unnamed official who said that Reliance had pulled the plug on Free Basics, according to CNET. However, as of December 23, Wednesday, subscribers could still access the free Internet service, according to Quartz.
A Facebook spokesman told Quartz that it is working with Reliance and India's authorities to get India online. He did not reveal how long the regulatory body requested Reliance to stop providing the free Internet service.
Facebook has big plans to provide high-speed Internet to rural regions. They include the use of satellites, lasers, and drones.
However, until now Internet.org has teamed up with local telecoms to provide free Internet service. It is doing that in over 30 countries.
Tech giants such as Facebook and Google see India as a large new market. Estimates show that about 1 billion people still do not have any Internet access.
As of last month Mark Zuckerberg's company had connected over 1 million people in India. However, net neutrality supporters argue that it provides limited access to a small number of sites.