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The Wikimedia Foundation is engaged in a number of mobile partnerships.

Where is Wikipedia free to access?

Where is Wikipedia free to access?
Country	Carrier	Free as of	Which version is free?	Which languages are free?	HTTPS/Apps	Proxy zero-rating / other details

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+{{Archived}}
 The Wikimedia Foundation is engaged in a number of '''mobile partnerships'''.
-{{TOCright}}
-== General questions ==
-'''Q: Why is the Wikimedia Foundation partnering with mobile operators?'''
-A: The short answer is to make free knowledge more accessible.  One of the [[strategy:Main Page|major goals]] of WMF is for Wikimedia sites to reach 1 billion people by 2015 (in April 2013, we reached 517 million).  As mobile phone connections begin to outnumber PC connections in much of the world, it is expected that a large number of the next 500 million users will come from mobile.  In order to introduce new readers, and contributors, to Wikipedia via mobile devices we need to do two things: 1) Help them discover it and 2) Reduce barriers to accessing it.  Every mobile partnership will be designed to address these objectives.
-'''Q: What is the main program? What is Wikipedia Zero?'''
-A: Our primary mobile partnership program is to work with mobile operators to allow their customers to access Wikipedia without incurring data charges. The program is called [[Wikipedia Zero]], the "zero" part meaning "zero" cost to the user. The concept is simple: a mobile operator "zero-rates" (i.e. waives data charges) for users accessing a version of the Wikipedia mobile site.
-'''Q: Is it the same as other zero projects? Are you partnering with Facebook Zero?'''
-A: This is not a partnership with Facebook or any other similarly branded zero program. They are the same in that they allow users in developing countries access to the sites without paying data charges.  Our initiative was inspired by the concept of Facebook Zero, but this is not a program between the Wikimedia Foundation and Facebook or any other web or mobile sites.''
-'''Q: Why would any mobile carrier give free access to one service and not another?'''
-A: We can't speak on behalf of mobile carriers or other services, but a principal reason for giving Wikipedia for free is that it is a public good and not monetized. Partners agree with our philosophy that access to free knowledge should be a fundamental human right.''
-'''Q: Are partners paying the Wikimedia Foundation to be able to deliver these types of programs? Is the Wikimedia Foundation paying partners?'''
-A: No. The partnerships do not produce revenue for the Wikimedia Foundation, and the Wikimedia Foundation is not paying partners.''
-'''Q: What exactly does the Wikimedia Foundation get from carriers for these kinds of partnerships?'''
-A: The only goal of these partnerships is to advance the free knowledge mission. They drive awareness of Wikipedia, make it easier for people to discover the sites, and reduce barriers to accessing it.''
-'''Q: What does the partner get? Why would they do it?'''
-A: There is a marketing benefit for them. Customers are more likely to buy from and be more loyal to an operator that supports the mission, and even more so if that operator provides Wikipedia without data charges. Partners often create campaigns as well to promote free Wikipedia access. Additionally, in the case of Wikipedia Zero, it helps introduce people to the usefulness of the mobile internet, which means more customers for operators in the long-term.
-'''Q: Are you making 'exclusive' deals to partners for specific territories?'''
-A: No. We will not do any exclusive deals.''
-'''Q: Would you do any partnerships that don't involve free Wikipedia?'''
-A: Wikipedia Zero is the priority for all partnerships, but is not the only way we partner. Some partners may, for example, offering Wikipedia through text message (program under development) or pre-load a Wikipedia app on the devices they sell.  This helps achieve the discovery and accessibility objectives.''
-'''Q: What parts of the world are you working with?'''
-A: We are focusing on the areas of the world, which have the greatest need to reduce barriers so people can have access to knowledge. Those areas include most countries in Africa, Asia, Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.
-'''Q: Do you think there are people in developed countries that could also benefit from free Wikipedia?'''
-A: Definitely. We need to prioritize though on places where impact will be greatest, which means countries in which the barriers to access (data cost relative to income) are greatest and where the gap between mobile penetration and desktop penetration is higher.''
-'''Q: Are the partners hosting Wikipedia on their own servers and re-offering it for free to customers?'''
-A: No. Nothing is changed about the way Wikipedia is hosted.''
-'''Q: How is the Wikimedia Foundation making these programs possible? What is the technical overhead?  How much does it cost?'''
-A: Implementing Wikipedia Zero in many countries around the world requires a variety of work, including marketing, legal, communications, technical development, and support.  Mobile is one of our primary strategic priorities and is funded by the core Wikimedia Foundation program budget as it gives access to Wikipedia to people that normally couldn't afford to use it on their mobile devices.
-'''Q: These kinds of deals are great if you have a mobile phone that can render data, but what is the Wikimedia Foundation doing to increase reach for people without those types of phones?'''
-A: This is also a priority, and we are working on developing SMS and USSD services in which a user can search Wikipedia and read articles without a data-enabled phone. Unlike Wikipedia Zero, which utilizes the existing mobile site, these programs require additional infrastructure.  For that reason, we anticipate being able to roll out those services later in 2013.
-'''Q: Why isn't editing included in these kinds of systems?  Obviously we could be getting new users to edit and read from their mobile devices.'''
-A: In July 2013 [http://blog.wikimedia.org/2013/07/25/edit-wikipedia-on-the-go/ the Wikimedia Foundation announced] that mobile editing has been enabled on Wikimedia sites for users with Wikimedia accounts. The ability to edit Wikipedia from a mobile device has been in the Wikimedia Foundation's product roadmap and with the feature enabled, users can now contribute to Wikipedia on-the-go.
-'''Q: What role do community members have in these partnerships?'''
-A: Community plays a vital role in helping us discover the opportunities to expand mobile reach and how to improve the experience for contributors and readers. We are also working on new ways in which community can help evangelize the Wikipedia Zero program.''
-'''Q: Are the Wikipedia apps part of Wikipedia Zero?'''
-For information on Wikipedia Zero support within the 2014 updated releases of the Wikipedia apps for Android and iOS, see the [[wmf:Wikipedia Zero App FAQ|Wikipedia Zero App FAQ]].
 == Where is Wikipedia free to access? ==
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 |+ Where is Wikipedia free to access?
 ! Country !! Carrier !! Free as of !! Which version is free? !! Which languages are free? || HTTPS/[[wmf:Wikipedia Zero App FAQ|Apps]] || Proxy zero-rating / other details
-|-
-| Uganda || Orange || April 4, 2012 || m.wikipedia only || en, fr, ko, de, zh, sw, rw, ar, hi, es || || None
-|-
-| Tunisia || Orange || April 24, 2012 || m.wikipedia only || ar, en, fr, es, de, it, ru, jp, zh || || None
-|-
-| Malaysia || Digi || May 21, 2012 || zero.wikipedia only || All languages || || Opera Mini only (no direct access zero-rated)
-|-
-| Niger || Orange || July 2, 2012 || m.wikipedia only || All languages || || None
-|-
-| Kenya || Orange || July 26, 2012 || m.wikipedia only || All languages || || None
-|-
-| Montenegro || Telenor || August 10, 2012 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia || All languages || || Opera Mini supported
-|-
-| Cameroon || Orange || August 16, 2012 || m.wikipedia only || fr, en, es, de, zh, ar, ha, ln, yo, eo || || None
-|-
-| Ivory Coast || Orange || September 28, 2012 || m.wikipedia only || All languages || || Opera Mini supported
-|-
-| Thailand || dtac || October 11, 2012 || zero.wikipedia only || All languages || || Opera Mini supported
-|-
-| Saudi Arabia || STC || October 14, 2012 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia || ar, en, ur, bn, tl || || None
-|-
-| Democratic Republic of Congo || Orange || December 6, 2012 || m.wikipedia only || All languages || || None
-|-
-| Botswana || Orange || February 8, 2013 || m.wikipedia only || All languages || || Opera Mini supported
-|-
-| Russia || Beeline || March 28, 2013 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia || ru, en || || Opera Mini supported
-|-
-| Indonesia || XL Axiata || April 1, 2013 || zero.wikipedia only || id, en, zh, ar, hi, ms, jv, su || || None
-|-
-| Pakistan || Mobilink || May 31, 2013 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia || en, ur || || Opera Mini supported
-|-
-| Sri Lanka || Dialog || June 25, 2013 || zero.wikipedia only || en, si, ta || || None
-|-
-| India || Aircel || July 25, 2013 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia || All languages || || None
-|-
-| Madagascar || Orange || September 21, 2013 || m.wikipedia only || fr, en, mg || Yes || None
-|-
-| Jordan || Umniah || September 29, 2013 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia || All languages || Yes || Opera Mini supported
-|-
-| Bangladesh || Banglalink || October 6, 2013 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia || en, bn || || None
-|-
-| Kenya || Airtel || October 24, 2013 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia || All languages || || None
-|-
-| Tajikistan || Tcell || November 19, 2013 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia || All languages || || None
-|-
-| Kazakhstan || Beeline || November 25, 2013 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia || ru, kk, en || || Opera Mini supported
-|-
-| Bangladesh || Grameenphone || December 16, 2013 || zero.wikipedia only|| All languages || || Opera Mini supported
-|-
-| Tajikistan || Babilon-Mobile || Jan 15, 2014 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia || All languages || || None
-|-
-| South Africa || MTN || Feb 28, 2014 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia|| All languages || Yes (No apps) || Opera Mini only (no direct access zero-rated)
-|-
-| Kenya || Safaricom || March 1, 2014 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia|| All languages || || None
-|-
-| Kosovo || IPKO || March 23, 2014 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia|| All languages || || None
-|-
-| Nepal || Ncell || May 7, 2014 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia|| All languages || Yes || None
-|-
-| Kyrgyzstan || Beeline || May 16, 2014 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia|| All languages || || Opera Mini supported
-|-
-| Nigeria || Airtel || May 28, 2014 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia|| All languages || || None
-|-
-| Rwanda || MTN || June 3, 2014 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia|| All languages || Yes || None
-|-
-| Mongolia || G-Mobile || June 4, 2014 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia|| All languages || Yes || None
-|-
-| Bangladesh || Airtel || June 26, 2014 || m.wikipedia & zero.wikipedia|| All languages || || Opera Mini supported
 |}
-''Note on version:  Partners are either giving free access to m.wikipedia.org (mobile version), zero.wikipedia.org (mobile text-only version), or both. In the future, most partnerships will be offering both.
-[[Category:Mobile]]