Facebook's Free Basics no longer available in India

Social networking giant Facebook has shut down its Free Basics service in India. The move comes after TRAI favored Net Neutrality and banned differential pricing used by telecom operators on Internet access based on content, landing a knockout punch on Facebook's Free Basics and other such plans.

Earlier this week, TRAI announced that “no service provider can offer or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content”.

"Free Basics is no longer available to people in India," a Facebook spokesperson told. Facebook's Free Basic was available in India last year as Internet.org via RCom, but had to shutdown in December last year following TRAI's order for now following Net Neutrality principles.

Facebook CEO, Mark Zukerberg had expressed his disappointment over TRAI's decision and said that he will not give up on Free Basics, as it is aimed to offer free internet services in region which do not have Internet access. Desipte the shutdown in India, the Free Basic project will continue to operate in around 30 countries around the world.

Via