Express WiFi is a Wi-Fi service promoted by Facebook that is aimed at providing affordable internet access to under-served communities around the world. So, far Express WiFi has launched in Nigeria and India.
How Express WiFi Works
Express WiFi delivers internet access using Wi-Fi connectivity, which has now become a standard feature in mobile devices. In partnership with internet service providers and local entrepreneurs, Facebook will provide Wi-Fi hotspots that will deliver fast and affordable internet access to communities.
The ingenuity of the Express WiFi scheme is the fact that Facebook is not coming to do it all by itself, rather the social media giant is looking to empower ordinary people to deliver internet access in their own communities.
Facebook will provide local entrepreneurs with software and equipment for delivering internet access in their community using Wi-Fi connectivity and in return the entrepreneurs will make 15% commission on all data plans sold to customers.
This scheme has the potential of empowering thousands of small time entrepreneurs to deliver internet access to their communities.
Each entrepreneur gets a Wi-Fi hotspot that can deliver up to 10 Mbps to be shared by all connected customers on the network. Facebook will also provide a 1KVA inverter to each entrepreneur to ensure the reliability of the Wi-Fi hotspot.
The service is available in India and Nigeria. According to reports, there are already over 125 rural Wi-Fi hotspots in India. In Nigeria, Facebook is partnering Coollink to deploy the service. So, far about 16 Wi-Fi hotspots have been rolled out in Lagos, Nigeria.
Cost of Express WiFi Data Plans
The Express WiFi service will amount to nothing if it is not affordable. So, you may be asking how much the Express WiFi Service costs? Looking at the data plans it is probably one of the most affordable in Nigeria.
| Data Plan | Data Limit | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100MB Daily Plan | 100MB | 1 Days | 40 Naira |
| 300MB Data Plan | 300MB | 1 Days | 110 Naira |
| 750MB Weekly Plan | 750MB | 7 Days | 270 Naira |
| 2GB Weekly Plan | 2GB | 7 Days | 700 NGN |
| 3GB Monthly Data Plan | 3GB | 30 Day | 1,000 Naira |
| 5GB Monthly Data Plan | 5GB | 30 Days | 1,600 NGN |
1,600 Naira for 5GB data sounds very reasonable in a country were 2,000 Naira can get you between 3GB and 6GB. This means that Express WiFi is competitively priced. You also get a 14 day free trial if you signup. Learn more.
