On Wednesday Mark Zuckerberg announced his collaboration with former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe to improve Internet access for its citizens as part of the  Internet.org project. This proposal, endorsed by the president and founder of Facebook, also has the backing of leading global companies such as Nokia or Samsung, in addition to non-profit organizations and technology experts. 

As they themselves ensure from their webpage “placing the Internet at the disposal of all persons on the planet is an objective that is too ambitious and important to be reached by a single, company, single group or a single government”. In this case, collaboration with the Colombian government and Tigo, a local telecommunications company cooperating on the project, will permit free access to over one dozen Internet web pages and platforms.

All users of this mobile network may enjoy basic Internet services that will enable them to look for jobs and browse through information on health, finances, communication, education or agriculture. Facebook, Wikipedia, AccuWeather, Unicef or the Integral Reparation of Victims portal shall be some of the sites on which Colombians will be able to navigate free of charge. There will be no need to pay for a plan or contract a mobile date service.

In this way, Colombia becomes the fourth country in the world, and the first in Latin America, in joining the Internet.org project, following Indonesia, Tanzania and Kenya.