Mark Zuckerberg's big idea: The 'next 5 billion' people

Zuckerberg's plan to connect the world
Zuckerberg's plan to connect the world

Most of us take the Internet for granted. But think about what Internet access would mean to 5 billion people who don't currently have it.

That's the idea behind a new campaign,, led by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

"We want to make it so that anyone, anywhere -- a child growing up in rural India who never had a computer -- can go to a store, get a phone, get online, and get access to all of the same things that you and I appreciate about the Internet," Zuckerberg said in an exclusive broadcast interview with CNN's "New Day" anchor Chris Cuomo.


More than 4.5 billion of the 7 billion people on Earth don't have Internet access, according to the World Bank. The biggest gaps are in Eritrea (just 0.8% have access), Timor-Leste (0.9%) and Myanmar (1.1%). Even in the United States, 19% don't have Internet access.

About 1 billion people are already using Facebook.

Zuckerberg imagines a world in which everyone has the "same ability to share their opinions and speak freely -- I think that would be a much better place."

"Connectivity is a human right," he added.

Related: Where people are connected to the Internet


Other companies have embarked on a similar mission.

Google (GOOG) is sending balloons with radio antennas into the stratosphere as part of a project called "Loon" aimed at connecting people without Internet access. Alcatel-Lucent is bringing its inexpensive lightRadio technology to small villages without cell towers. And phone manufacturers are racing to develop smartphones that cost less than $15 -- a goal that even top-tier smartphone makers such as Nokia, Samsung and BlackBerry are working diligently to reach.

How much will it cost? Zuckerberg says he's already invested more than $1 billion in his mission to get people connected, and he's "hoping to do a lot more."

The key to the effort will be mobile, which is a big part of Facebook's growth strategy.

Facebook (FB) stock tanked after its IPO last year when investors worried about its efforts to generate advertising revenue from people checking Facebook on mobile phones.

The stock has had a rebound in recent months after the company began to show progress in that area. Another 5 billion "customers" certainly wouldn't hurt. But Zuckerberg bristles at the idea that the campaign is about profits.


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