Aircel to offer free mobile Wikipedia access

BANGALORE: Telecom operator Aircel today announced its partnership with Wikimedia Foundation to offer free mobile Wikipedia access to its customers.


The alliance is aimed at making knowledge available on Wikipedia accessible to all Aircel customers in both rural and urban areas for free, Aircel said in a release.

This initiative is part of the foundation's 'Wikipedia Zero' programme to reach mobile internet users around the world. The partnership will help provide Wikipedia to 60 million new users in the region, it added.

"Through our alliance with the Wikimedia Foundation, Aircel is not only making internet services reach a wider audience, but also help encourage and enrich the lives of our customers by offering access to knowledge and information free of cost," Aircel Chief Marketing Officer Anupam Vasudev said.

Aircel customers will be able to access versions of Wikipedia in English, Hindi, Tamil, and 17 other Indic languages.

"With the partnership, we extend our programme to India where we potentially reach millions of people for the first time." Wikimedia Foundation Head of Mobile Kul Takanao Wadhwa said.