Facebook acquires Finnish mobile data startup Pryte to help bring affordable internet access to all

Facebook has acquired a Finnish startup called Pryte, a yet-to-launch company that enables single-click mobile data purchases on a “need-to and per app basis”.

Founded in 2013, Pryte’s technology was geared towards developing markets, where mobile data may be less accessible or affordable. So in effect, a user could buy a short-term pass to check out Instagram or Facebook, without committing to a monthly plan – kind of like pay-as-you-go, but on a more micro level.

As Reuters notes, terms of the deal have not been disclosed, though Pryte does reveal in its announcement that it will be working to further the Facebook-backed Internet.org’s goal of “making affordable internet access available to everyone in the world”.

Pryte’s full announcement is a follows:

“Today, we are delighted to announce that our team will be joining Facebook. Since we launched Pryte we have worked to reimagine the way mobile data works in an app-driven world, by enabling partnerships between app and content providers, and mobile operators.

Now, we’re joining Facebook, whose mission to connect the world by partnering with operators to bring people online in a profitable way aligns closely with our team’s goals. We are excited to get started, and make an even greater impact by advancing the work we are doing in collaboration with Facebook’s great team working to further Internet.org’s goal of making affordable internet access available to everyone in the world.

We want to express appreciation to our investors, who believed in us and in our vision from the early days. Thank you to everyone who has joined us on this journey.

Facebook launched Internet.org in August last year, bringing on board a range of partners for the initiative, including Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung, adding that it planned to work closely with NGOs, mobile operators and other tech firms. The ultimate goal, it says, is to make internet access more affordable, data more efficient, and technology cheaper and more accessible.

➤ Pryte is joining Facebook  [via Reuters]