BBC 15 September 2010 Last updated at 05:58 ET
Tim Berners-Lee calls for free internet worldwide
The inventor of the Web has called for everyone to have access to his creation for free.
Tim Berners-Lee said that he would like to see everybody given a low-bandwidth connection “by default”.
He said the web could be instrumental in giving people access to critical services such as healthcare.
Currently, he said, just one-fifth of the world's population has access to the web.
“What about the other 80%?” he asked the audience at the Nokia World conference in London.
Tip of the Hat to Pierre Levy at LinkedIn.
Phi Beta Iota: Sir Tim is on target but misses the critical point, which is that the Internet is already free, what is NOT free is the handheld device needed to access it. Earth Intelligence Network and its 24 co-founders are committed to the idea of free cell phones for the five billion poor, along with national call centers that educate them “one cell call at a time” while also providing access to the kinds of Internet application that the Grameen AppLab is creating.
