Facebook’s second life: the unstoppable rise of the tech company in Africa

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Facebook has two benefits for businesses – not only in Africa, but for all emerging markets. The first is ease of access. The second benefit is its analytics function. Businesses can see who shares their content and how it spreads. But, for many people, Facebook is not only indispensable but unavoidable. Across Africa, Facebook is the internet. Businesses and consumers depend heavily on it because access to the app and site are free on many African telecoms networks, meaning you don’t need any phone credit to use it. In 2015, Facebook launched Free Basics, an internet service that gives users credit-free access to the platform. Designed to work on low-cost mobile phones, which make up the vast majority of devices on the continent, it offers a limited format, with no audio, photo and video content. Over the past five years, Free Basics has been rolled out in 32 African countries. Facebook’s ambition does not end there. Where there are no telecoms providers to partner with, or where infrastructure is poor, the company has been developing satellites that can beam internet access to remote areas.


Facebook’s second life: the unstoppable rise of the tech company in Africa