Telenor Customers to Browse Wikipedia for Free

telenor_logoThrough an agreement between Telenor Group and the Wikimedia Foundation signed today, Telenor customers throughout Asia and Southeastern Europe will be able to access Wikipedia.com on their phones for free, i.e. no charges for data traffic at all (as long as there are on Wikipedia.com).

How to Use Wikipedia for Free?

  • When implemented (It might take couple of months to get this partnership implemented), customers with a Telenor SIM will be able to access wikipedia.com for free.
  • You will be able to visit wikipedia.com as many times as you want
  • You will be able to browse wikipedia.com from your phone using any phone browser, or app.
  • External links on wikipedia.com will be charged as per usual tariff
  • Access to all other web pages (except wikipedia.com) will be charged as per usual tariffs.

When Can you use Wikipedia for Free?

We have asked Telenor Pakistan to give us a definitive date regarding the implementation of this project, for which we are awaiting their reply.

As mentioned above, the agreement was signed today and implementation of this partnership is in process now. Telenor Pakistan told me that a it could take couple of months to work out the technical modalities for making wikipedia.com accessible for free. Ideally, it is expected that all this would be done by April 2012.

A statement issued by Telenor said that this three year partnership between Telenor Group and the Wikimedia Foundation will cover 135 million users. The agreement is signed by seven countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Montenegro, and Serbia.

By the end of the year, more markets are expected to join. The agreement will be implemented step by step throughout 2012, with the first markets launching during the second quarter.

This initiative is part of the Wikimedia Foundation’s mobile strategy, which focuses on reaching the billions of people around the world whose primary opportunity to access the Internet is via a mobile device.

“The Wikimedia Foundation is working to remove barriers to free knowledge, and for most people around the world right now, cost and accessibility are the two biggest hurdles,” says Barry Newstead, Wikimedia Chief Global Development Officer. “We applaud Telenor for joining us to deliver free access to Wikipedia for their customers. Through this partnership, we move a step closer to providing the sum of all knowledge to everyone in the world.”

This partnership supports Telenor’s commitment to bring more value to its mobile customers. Especially, the company has pioneered the development of value-adding services to rural and underserved communities in Asia. Telenor involve millions in Asia through the I-Geniusproject, which has already reached out to 300,000 Bangladeshi students and school-children with a call to explore open knowledge on the internet.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with the Wikimedia Foundation. Telenor have pioneered affordable, mobile communications across much of Asia, and we have built a track record of offering vital services with a significant outreach” says Kristin Skogen Lund,Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Services at Telenor Group. “With this agreement, we are first in Asia to bring a vast knowledge source to the millions in underserved communities across the region.”

Each local Telenor affiliate will establish technical solutions together with the Wikimedia Foundation.

Tech and telecom reporter for over 15 years


      • You are a crap student for not using Wikipedia or any other encyclopedia for researching and consultation. Just because you copy your assignments doesn’t mean every other student have to do it too. Oh wait, Pakistanis are already world renowned for plagiarism (even up to their Phd thesis).

  • Wow brilliant!!!! Now i’ll be able to read articles any time any where free of cost… It really is a great step.

  • Great initiative by Telenor other telecom operators should follow suit as well. Hope 3G comes Soon

  • meri telenor ki sim par credit nahi hai mene wikipedia open karne ki try ki but nahi hoi kia kisi ne bina balance ki se open ki hai. or 2nd k kisi ne balane k hote huy free use ki ye site please tell me.

  • Reading articles is not a big deal. Its draws very low bandwitdh that anyone can read for hours whenever he wants with only less than 10 Rs. expenditure. So exploring webpages with liberty is better than just being restricted to only one source. Other networks are already offering cheap pkgs with tiny data limit. Although its good that people get another choice with no charges.

  • Telenor ne ye to bohat acha kaam kia
    Lekin Telenor pr koi internet k liye cheap Unlimited package b hona chahiye.
    ye kuch ziada bandwidth di jaye..
    3G technology k ane ka sub wait kr rhe hain k shayad us main kuch rates kum ho jayen..

  • Quote from article: “It might take couple of months to get this partnership implemented”

    Seriously?! Just tell the Telenor to double the rate they are charging Pakistanis and Telenor will do it in a heartbeat. But when it comes to implement something for the benefit of Pakistanis then the answer is “it will take ages” which translated as “it probably will never happen”. Even if it implemented then there is high possibility that it will be crappy and Telenor will overcharge randomly. Business as usual.

  • fabulous… Speachless offer by telenor and wikipedia… thanx to them from Pakistani Students.

  • Mera pas nokia 5800 ha ma us pe kesa telenor ka free internet use kron please help me im waiting


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