Wikipedia Zero grows readership in Africa and Asia

You are too much feared about it. This is just a informational and educational purpose and for the peoples who are not able to pay for data charges and there for cant get the information. This will remove the barrier of cost between poor and information. No one will stop using email, maps, forums, videos, apps and anything else available on internet because Wikipedia is free. The purpose and aim of Free information for education is completely different than you think.

The greatest barrier to Internet usage in Africa is data charges. The vast majority of mobile owners cannot afford the price of data and are limited to using older "featurephones". Any move to widen access to information is to be applauded. There is no public information that Zero Facebook is actually being charged for the zero-rated access from the mobile networks involved.

Network neutrality is an irrelevance to someone who cannot afford Internet access. First world problem :-)

I hear what you're saying, and I agree. Giving priority to Wikipedia is troubling from a neutrality standpoint. I do worry about a trend arising from this.

However, like others commenting, I think in this instance it's a good thing. It wouldn't even have to be Wikipedia for this to be my opinion; we could see Facebook Zero and I would like it. My take on it is, it's better to have something with a catch than nothing at all. Think of the Space Race: should government be controlling the rockets? Should taxpayers be footing the bill for this immense research? It got us off the ground, and I would argue that's a good thing. Now there is a booming private space industry, because the initial investment, while cause for concern, got people demanding space technology.

If people in African and Asian nations get a taste for web services, for the spread of information, for the ease of communication the Internet can offer, I'm predicting a similar end as the Space Race: private industry will boom once the demand reaches a high enough level. While net neutrality might be at risk in the short term, the important thing is getting the ball rolling. I can't predict the future, but I can extrapolate from the past. People will be demanding this technology in developing markets, and with the Internet comes education, business, and opportunities for improving the quality of life.