Facebook
People are silhouetted as they pose with mobile devices in front of a screen projected with a Facebook logo, in this picture illustration taken in Zenica October 29, 2014. Facebook Inc warned on Tuesday of a dramatic increase in spending in 2015 and projected a slowdown in revenue growth this quarter, slicing a tenth off its market value. Facebook shares fell 7.7 percent in premarket trading the day after the social network announced an increase in spending in 2015 and projected a slowdown in revenue growth this quarter. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Social networking giant Facebook that had introduced Internet.org last year is now allowing any mobile operator to sign up and offer free internet access to basic online services. Internet.org was first launched in Africa and is now available in 17 countries across the world, however, it only worked with select operators.

In an attempt to lure more mobile operators, Facebook has announced a dedicated portal, which the operator can access to sign up with the program, reports The Verge. Facebook says, Internet.org lures new users to mobile networks more than 50 percent faster on average after launching free basic Internet services. Taking cognizance of the benefits realized through wider internet access, more than 50 percent of users who get online have paid for data in the first 30 days, reports Tech Times. This will help in increasing Internet adoption rates among people, who had not realized the benefits on online services, earlier.

"As we approach year two, we've taken everything we've learned from working closely with our partners and are now ready to scale Internet.org free basic services," says Facebook. The social networking giant explains that any mobile operator can switch to Internet.org in new countries through a partner portal that includes “technical tools and best practices”, which will help improve the process to offer free basic services to unconnected users.

Facebook announced its second quarter’s earnings on July 29. As per the results, the company reported a net income of $719 million. In the second quarter, Facebook posted $4.04 billion in revenue and $0.50 earnings per share, reports Tech Crunch. Currently, Facebook has 1.49 billion monthly users, up 3.47 percent quarter over quarter. Analysts had estimated $3.99 billion in revenue with 47 cents EPS. Facebook reported a net income of $719 million, reports ZDNet. Revenues generated through mobile advertising accounted for nearly 76 percent of all ad revenues in second quarter of 2015, in comparison to 62 percent witnessed in Q2 2014.

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