Connecting the masses
In an unassuming office building in downtown Boston, a midsized tech startup founded by an MIT alumnus has a reach of more than half of the world’s population. Partnering with major mobile operators, Jana Mobile, founded by Nathan Eagle PhD ’06, is positioned to make the Internet free for nearly 3.5 billion prepaid mobile users worldwide. With Jana’s ubiquity comes significant social impact: In developing countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America where Jana operates, people earn low wages, yet are increasingly buying prepaid mobile phones for communication. According to Jana, about 10 percent of these people’s daily wages pays for mobile connectivity, with roughly three hours of work equaling the cost of one hour of data. Through Jana’s app, mCent, prepaid users can download apps, watch ads, or participate in other marketing services. In return, they receive credits of 10 cents or more that can be used to buy more data. This...