Will access to Wikipedia for people in Saudi Arabia be uncensored? Has there been any agreement with Saudi Telecom on censorship?
Andreas On Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 6:32 PM, Jay Walsh <jwa...@wikimedia.org> wrote: > Hi folks - sharing a news release that WMF issued this morning along with > STC. > > (This press release is also posted on the WMF wiki at > > https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/WMF_and_STC_partner_on_WP_Zero_in_the_Middle_East > ) > > '''The Wikimedia Foundation and Saudi Telecom (STC) partner to provide > access to Wikipedia free of mobile data charges in the Middle East''' > > ''Service available immediately to STC customers in Saudi Arabia'' > > San Francisco, California and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- October 14, 2012 > -- Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and the Wikimedia Foundation announced > a new partnership today to offer Wikipedia free of data charges on > mobile devices to STC customers in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. > By making Wikipedia available to its 25 million mobile customers, STC > and the Wikimedia Foundation commit to increasing access to the free > and open knowledge available on Wikipedia. Wikipedia Zero enables > customers to browse the website for free and with high flexibility on > all mobile phones. > > This partnership is part of the Wikimedia Foundation's mobile > strategy, which focuses on reaching billions of people around the > world whose primary opportunity to access the Internet is via a mobile > device. This initiative is particularly important, given that the > Foundation has made Arabic language countries a special priority in > its strategic planning. > > “We are thrilled that STC has joined us in removing a major barrier to > accessing Wikipedia on mobile phones. Improving access to the > Wikimedia projects in the Arabic speaking world is a strategic > priority for the Foundation, and this partnership is a step forward in > our mission to enable everyone on the planet to access free > knowledge,” said Kul Takanao Wadhwa, Head of Mobile, Wikimedia > Foundation. “With Wikipedia Zero, the Wikimedia Foundation is able to > provide free Wikipedia access to almost 230 million mobile users > around the world. We’re very excited that STC is joining us in this > mission.” > > In collaboration with “Intigral”, a company specialized in providing > digital media solutions to telecom operators, STC subscribers can now > access the free service in both Arabic and English by pointing their > mobile browser to m.wikipedia.org. A lightweight, text-only version > optimized for slower connections is also available at > zero.wikipedia.org. The move comes as STC continues to consolidate its > leadership in various fields, especially in social awareness and the > fostering of a knowledge-sharing culture. Wikipedia Zero will also be > available through the mobile browser, and features high browsing > speeds despite being a free service. > > Eng. Ibrahim Al Omar, Vice President for Personal Services, said “One > of the principles that STC adheres to is the commitment to spreading > social awareness and the fostering of a knowledge-sharing culture that > accomplishes the aspirations of all segments of our customer-base.” He > then added, “Wikipedia Zero is considered an additional cornerstone > that supports the continuous efforts of STC in the field of social > awareness.” > > The launch of Wikipedia Zero comes in line with STC’s strategy to > prioritize customer needs, and is an affirmation of the company’s > commitment to fulfilling customer expectations while meeting their > demands, and to continuously develop its services to satisfy their > aspirations and give them a variety of unrestricted options and > alternatives. > > For more information, please refer to the partnership Q&A at: > https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Mobile_partnerships#STC > > '''About Saudi Telecom''' > www.stc.com.sa > > Saudi Telecom Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides > telecommunications services to individuals and businesses primarily in > the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its GSM segment primarily offers mobile, > prepaid cards, international roaming, and messaging services. The > company’s Landline segment principally provides fixed line, card > telephones, interconnect, and international call services. Its DATA > segment primarily offers leased data transmission circuits, DSL, and > Internet services. The company also engages in the operation of > communications projects; transmission and processing of information; > wholesale and retail trade of recharge card services, > telecommunication equipment and devices, and computer services; sale > and re-sale of various landlines and mobiles telecommunication > services; and maintenance and operation of commercial centers. In > addition, it provides mobile services, international > telecommunications, broad band, and other related services in Bahrain; > and operates third generation mobile network in Indonesia. The company > was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. > > '''About Wikimedia Foundation''' > http://wikimediafoundation.org > http://blog.wikimedia.org > > The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates > Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. According to comScore Media Metrix, > Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation > receive more than 456 million unique visitors per month, making them > the fifth-most popular web property world-wide (comScore, August > 2012). Available in 285 languages, Wikipedia contains more than 22 > million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of > roughly 100,000 people. Based in San Francisco, California, the > Wikimedia Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded > primarily through donations and grants. > > > -- > Jay Walsh > Head of Communications > WikimediaFoundation.org > blog.wikimedia.org > +1 (415) 839 6885 x 6609, @jansonw > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l > _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l