Cisco joined Facebook’s Express Wi-Fi Technology Partner Program, which aims to deliver internet access to underserved areas, and said it will build network hardware and software that is compatible with Express Wi-Fi as part of this effort to bring more people online.

Express Wi-Fi partners with carriers, internet service providers, and local entrepreneurs to extend connectivity to underserved locations around the world and bring more people together, faster. Cisco joins the likes of Nokia, Telefonica, Cambium Networks, Arista Networks, and Ruckus Network, which already participate in the WiFi program.

High-speed internet, social media, smart phones, connected devices, and online marketplaces have reshaped commerce and communication. Despite the internet being a basic necessity in modern life — in July 2016 the U.N. went so far as to declare “online freedom” a "human right," and one that must be protected — not everyone has access to high-speed internet, thus creating what is called the “digital divide.” Communities, businesses, and schools in areas without high-speed internet are being left behind.

According to the 2019 EIU Internet Inclusivity Index commissioned by Facebook, about 3.8 billion people don’t have fast, affordable, and reliable internet access. Further, the Cisco Visual Networking Index predicts that 68% of the Middle East and Africa’s population, 38% of Asia Pacific’s population, and 31% of Latin America’s population will still be without access to the internet by 2022. 

Facebook’s Express Wi-Fi Technology Partner Program aims to bring more people online and close the digital divide. 

In tandem with Facebook’s mission, Cisco has a goal to positively impact 1 billion lives by 2025, and its involvement with the Express Wi-Fi Technology Partner Program will help it achieve this goal.

“Connectivity has never been more important, and extending the internet to underserved areas offers tremendous opportunities for economic growth,” wrote Cisco global account manager Keith Mulhall in a blog post announcing the partnership.