Feb 27, 2013 at 11:27 AM
A really good initiative IMHO.
Wikipedia Zero - MediaWiki
The Wikipedia Zero initiative is based on partnerships with mobile phone operators, whereby the operator agrees to deploy a version of Wikipedia in such a way that their users do not need to pay for data access. Wikipedia Zero is the flagship partner program for 2012, and is the strategic priority for these partnerships. Additional partner programs are often implemented in conjunction or in advance of Wikipedia Zero in order to provide additional means for an operator's customers to both discover and access free knowledge on Wikipedia.
Purpose and mission
We want to enable access to free knowledge for every last human being. For many readers in developing countries, their primary (and often only) access to the internet is via mobile. However, barriers exist that can prevent users from reading Wikipedia and accessing free knowledge on their mobile devices.
Cost - While handset prices have reduced sharply around the world, data costs are still prohibitively expensive for many users. From the 2010 mobile readers' survey, for example, we saw that 21% of users listed "too much data usage" as a critical barrier to access. That number rises dramatically when we consider people who have capable devices, but are not even yet mobile readers. We need to remove the cost of data as a deterrent to reading Wikipedia.
Speed - The mobile survey also pointed out that speed of connection is the top barrier (44% of users) for using Wikipedia on a mobile phone. Therefore, we need to offset this barrier by offering an experience that loads faster.
There are two outcomes to this. First, new readers will be encouraged to access free knowledge for the first time, knowing that the barriers are low. Second, existing readers will not be obstructed from accessing knowledge when they need and want it.
Concept and experience
Mobile Version
Mobile Text-Only Version
There are two different methods in which an operator partner can take part in the Wikipedia Zero program (note here that the term "zero-rate" refers to waiving data charges to access):
A) Most partners will zero-rate the full mobile version of Wikipedia (located at m.wikipedia.org) along with a lightweight, text-only version (at zero.wikipedia.org)
B) In certain exception cases, some partners will only zero-rate the lightweight, text-only version (located at zero.wikipedia.org) -- please note this implementation is being phased out - all future partners will be zero-rating both m.wikipedia.org and zero.wikipedia.org
The text-only version is essentially a view of the Wikipedia mobile site with images turned off (note that the option to turn off images does exist in all versions of the mobile site, but not as default); this, on average, decreases the amount of data transferred by 30%. In the case of (B), users will be warned about potentially incurring data charges when they click on an individual image link. In both (A) and (B) cases, users are given a similar warning message when clicking on any external link.
As part of the incentive for operators to participate in Wikipedia Zero, there will be a banner atop the zero-rated Wikipedia page showing the operator's name. The contents of the banner will be text only, with exact text to be negotiated with each operator (eg, "Free Wikipedia Access from Partner").
Wikipedia Zero - MediaWiki
