Boston, MA 08/18/2014 (wallstreetpr) – Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), whose shares are up 35% this year, will likely remain a serious thorn in the flesh of rival Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) for a long time. Already Facebook stands out as the dominant social network in the world with more than 1.32 billion active users, a number that Twitter’s cannot even come near. But if you thought that Facebook is comfortable with its towering user-count, a second thought may be necessary because the company is not leaving any stone unturned.
As it saturates the U.S. and the U.K. among its big markets, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has turned its eye to the developing world, and it is doing more than just providing a platform to meet and connect with friends and family. In Zambia for instance, Facebook has launched a free Internet access in collaboration with Airtel.
Free Internet access
Zambians on Airtel network will be able to get access to several Internet apps including Facebook, Wikipedia and more, all free of charge for several months. They can then later choose to enroll for a paid data plan. Zambia is the latest market in which Facebook is trying to expand access to the Internet. The company is already in partnership with various carriers around the world through which it allows subscribers free access to slices of the Internet.
According to Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), Internet access not only encourages information faster information flow, but also fosters talents and has the potential of transforming the poor communities as they tap into the online opportunities. For example, as with the case of Zambia, users will have access to job advertisements thanks to the free data service.
Revenue agenda
However, beyond opening up opportunities for people across the world to connect to the Internet and use it to their advantage, Facebook’s provision of free access also helps add more users to the network. With more users, Facebook is sure of boosting its advertisement revenue. In the most recent quarter, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) reported 67% increase in ad revenue to $2.68 billion. Its total revenue for the quarter was $2.91 billion, which was 61% better than the like quarter last year.
