(This press release is also available online here: https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Airtel_Offers_Nigerians_... )

*Airtel Offers Nigerians Free Access to Wikipedia*

- *Customers to Access Multilingual Content Free of Data Charges* - *Restates Commitment to Educational Development, Youth Empowerment*

*Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday, May 29th, 2014*: Leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has announced a strategic partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that operates Wikipedia, to offer their consumers across the country access to Wikipedia through their mobile phones free of data charges.

The initiative, which is first of its kind in Nigeria, is dubbed Wikipedia Zero, and it is aimed at reaching and empowering billions of people around the world whose access to the Internet is primarily through a mobile device. Airtel Nigeria subscribers can access Wikipedia free of data charges at m.wikipedia.org.

With the new partnership, Airtel will help deliver knowledge and information of Wikipedia to 21 million of new users in the West African region. Speaking on the new partnership, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Maurice Newa, said the initiative is in line with the company’s corporate vision of becoming Nigeria’s number one Internet Company, saying the new service will help connect Nigerians with relevant knowledge and information that will empower them to succeed in their personal and professional endeavors.

“We are excited with our partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation and we will continue to provide innovative solutions that will uplift Nigerians in line with our brand promise of becoming the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians,” he said. “At Airtel, we are passionate and committed to creating solid educational and youth empowerment platforms that will enrich and transform the lives of telecoms consumers across the country.”

“We commend Airtel Nigeria for taking a leadership role in empowering their society through information access, and we’re thrilled to partner with them,” said Carolynne Schloeder, Head of Mobile Partnerships at the Wikimedia Foundation. “Expanding Wikipedia Zero to the people of Nigeria is a big step forward for free knowledge in Africa.”

About Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 4 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 297 million customers across its operations at the end of April 2014. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com

About the Wikimedia Foundation

http://wikimediafoundation.org http://wikipediazero.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 500 million unique visitors per month, making them the fifth-most popular web property world-wide (comScore, August 2013). Available in 287 languages, Wikipedia contains more than 29 million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of roughly 80,000 people. Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily through donations and grants.

Wikimedia Foundation Press Contact:

Communications, Wikimedia Foundation +1 415-839-6885 ext 6633 jwalsh@wikimedia.org

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