Facebook Announces Multiple Infrastructure Projects at MWC 2019

• Facebook revealed details about a number of projects that it is currently working on in developing countries.
• The company is continuing its efforts to expand its Express Wi-Fi service to three more countries.
• The company’s biggest project is the Internet para Todos (Ipt) that will help improve mobile infrastructure in Peru.

Facebook revealed details about its current infrastructure projects at the MWC 2019. The company revealed a number of new partnerships for its Express Wi-Fi service as well as other projects that are on the horizon.

Facebook has partnered with Cell C in South Africa, Vodafone in Ghana and Globe in the Philippines to bring internet connectivity to the countries. The social media giant had already established strong partnerships in countries like India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Project Wi-Fi seeks to offer internet connectivity to the masses by offering internet sharing tools to local entrepreneurs.

Facebook also announced its new open source platform Magma that is designed to make deploying mobile networks easier. The service is catered to carriers, and the company has already forged partnerships with Telefonica, BRCK and more. The social media company giant is also trialing its Terragraph service to Greece and Brazil. The project is already in the production stage at Ohio, California, and Penang.

Facebook has also invested in a 750km open-access fiber project in Nigeria to offer internet access to more than a million citizens. The company has partnered with local state authorities to establish the project.

Internet para Todos (IpT) is also in full swing to offer rural mobile infrastructure in Peru. Facebook director of engineering Yael Maguire revealed “The idea is that we can create a common infrastructure that is open access, let others innovate on business models and create competition, etc. The hope is that a business case can close for IpT.”

Facebook revealed that there is not a lot of new technology that it is working on now and that most of the projects are fairly small scale. The company revealed plans to scale its efforts and launch more projects in Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America in the future.

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