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Comment by kamikazi | Hacker News Reader

it's not a superior vs inferior product. This was just an example to show that telcos are making money at the entry level too & they should (screenshot - http://i.imgur.com/gpsgRLh.png). This data plan has nothing to do with FB or internet.org.

Just a 2G data plan that I can use to surf any site. Fb/internet.org on the other hand is free to users & paid for (or howsoever they do it), decided by a secret cabal behind the scenes between telcos/FB/govt bodies (mark's words) and whoever else is monopolistic enough to be at the table.

Perhaps I didn't understand your question?

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I'm saying that FB/Internet.org is an inferior product (since it's limited to a few services) in the same market as the Vodafone plan, which only costs a few cents more. If so, then what's the problem? FB/Internet.org will likely just fail to attract any significant number of users.

Defaults matter. In Europe, 10% people opted in for organ donation. But when the mechanism was switched to an opt-out, only 10% actually opted out.

True - though that's mostly applicable because people don't really care if their organs are donated.

But any case, I don't see the default here; people have to choose the telco(s) that implement Internet.org, and sign up for it, no?

Is that like saying Microsoft shouldn't have been penalized for bundling IE because the user chose the machine which came bundled with Windows which came bundled with IE? (Just so you know, telecom cartels are a reality - at least in India)

I don't see how is it comparable. What is Internet.org bundled with?

Bundled with the mobile service (Reliance in India, for eg)

@icebraining I can't reply in the thread so posting here.

Other internet data packages are bought explicitly by the user, and treat websites neutrally.

How is it bundled anymore than any other mobile data package?

The problem is akin to being a frog in the well.

Millions of first-time internet users will be onboarded (using shady mktg techniques - that's just how things work on the ground where it gets real dirty) onto free flavors of handpicked services.

They have no idea of real internet. Please see the very first link I posted which gives our full reply. It answers your Qn in depth.

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