Kenyan mobile service provider Orange has revealed that users on its network will be given free access to online encyclopaedia Wikipedia
This move came after a major partnership signed in January 2012 between the Orange Group and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Kenya has become the second country in Africa after Uganda to benefit from this partnership.
A source from Orange said any customer with an Orange SIM and mobile Internet-enabled phone will be able to access Wikipedia through their mobile browser.
Customers will be able to access the Wikipedia encyclopaedia services as many times as they like at no extra charge as long as they stay within Wikipedia’s pages, the source added.
Telkom Kenya chief executive Mickael Ghossein said, “Orange is keen on creating and raising awareness on the benefits of Wikipedia to the more than 70 million Orange customers in Africa and the Middle East.
“Our subscribers can access Wikipedia services for as many times as they like at no extra charge, as long as they stay within Wikipedia’s pages,” said Ghossein, adding that the mobile phone remained the most preferred and convenient means of accessing the Internet while in transit.
Users of this service will also freely browse the millions of articles available on Wikipedia in the languages most widely used in Africa.
“In countries where access to information is not always readily available, we are making it simple and easy for our customers to use the world’s most comprehensive online encyclopaedia in both Kiswahili and English”, added Ghossein.
