NAIROBI: Ugandans who subscribe to Orange Uganda's network can now access Wikipedia for free, according to the company publicist, Patience Tindyebwa. “Any customer with an Orange SIM and mobile Internet enabled phone will be able to access Wikipedia, the largest online encyclopedia in the world, through their mobile browser,” Tindyebwa said. Commenting on the initiative, Philippe Luxcey, the Orange Uganda CEO commented, “Orange has enabled Ugandans to access affordable Internet via their mobile phones and now we are proud to provide Ugandans with access to free knowledge which Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, offers.” The move is the result of a major partnership signed in January between the Orange Group and the Wikimedia Foundation. Marc Rennard, group executive VP of Orange, Africa, the Middle-East and Asia, said the company is making it simple and easy for our customers to use the world's most comprehensive online encyclopedia, in countries where access to information is not always readily available. “It is the first partnership of this kind in the world where we are enabling customers to access Wikipedia without incurring any data charges; and shows Orange's ability, once again, to innovate in Africa and the Middle East, and bring more value to our customers,” Rennard remarked.
