Facebook says 40 million people are now using Internet.org

Facebook’s Internet.org may not have had the smoothest of rides, but the initiative is slowly gaining traction.

During Facebook's Q3 earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Internet.org (more popularly known as Free Basics) is now used by 40 million people, or 0.5 percent of the world’s population. This is up from 15 million users Internet.org had as of October 2015.

Through Internet.org, Facebook ties up with a telecom operator and lets people on the network access select websites and services for free. The approach, considered as wall garden by many, resulted in India banning the project earlier this year for concerns of it violating net neutrality.

However, the company hasn’t given up on India, its fastest growing market. It is currently testing a new project called Express Wifi in remote places in India. "W’re making good progress with our Express Wifi program, which empowers entrepreneurs to build a business by providing their community with access to the Internet," Zuckerberg said during the earnings call.

Launched in 2013, Internet.org has been launched in over one-and-a-half dozen nations. Most recently it was launched in Myanmar with partnership with Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications carrier. The company is said to have plans to bring the initiative to the United States. The company was in talks with the US government and wireless carriers to bring the Free Basics program to the country, according to a Washington Post report last month.