NEW DELHI: Social networking giant Facebook is in talks with internet service providers ( ISPs ) to expand its Express Wi-Fi program into a commercial launch in India, having completed a pilot roll out of 125 rural public Wi-Fi hotspots in a tie-up with state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.Express Wi-Fi is a Mark Zuckerberg-headed Internet giant’s initiative aimed at taking affordable broadband to the rural areas of the country in partnerships with internet service companies and small entrepreneurs.“We are testing Express Wi-Fi program in India currently that allows customers to purchase fast, reliable and affordable data packages from their local ISP (internet service providers) to access the Internet via local hotspots,” a Facebook India spokesperson said.Facebook, however, did not reveal the names of service providers that it is in discussions with, and has left it to its partners to come up with a scalable business model. The social media company on its part has developed customized software for rural markets which will help ISPs and/or entrepreneurs to run a business within their localities, helping bridge coverage gaps in the India’s rural cellular data networks.“Facebook is investing in the development of the connectivity ecosystem by providing techno-commercial assistance to local ISP partners and entrepreneurs,” a person aware of the matter said.Facebook’s previous initiative to connect the unconnected through Free Basics had to be pulled out from India after the telecom regulator banned discriminatory pricing of data services, which included zero-rated services.But India continues to remain key for Facebook’s future, with 462 million, or around a third of the population with Internet access in June, according to an IAMAI report. An Akamai Technologies report puts India at 131 out of 189 countries in terms of broadband penetration, underlining the potential.India’s telecom regulator is also seeking to give a push to public Wifi in the country for the spread of affordable broadband through a consultation process.Citing industry data, the watchdog added that the increase in the number of Wi-Fi hotspots from 2013 to 2016 has been 568% worldwide while India has demonstrated a growth of a mere 12% during the same period."For India to reach a goal of one hotspot for every 150 people, 8 lakh additional hotspots will have to be installed,” the regulator said.