by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 3:40 PM ET, Wed March 14, 2018
As part of a global strategy to reach the next billion users, Google has begun providing free WiFi throughout Mexico.
The California search giant is launching a network of more than 60 hotspots at high-traffic venues across Mexico City and nationwide, including at airports, shopping malls, and public transit stations, according to a statement from Google.
By the end of the year, the company intends to have the network, known as Google Station, accessible in more than 100 locations in the country.
This is Google's first move into Latin America on its mission to improve connectivity in emerging markets. Google Station already operates in India where it counts about eight million users and also in Indonesia.
Mexico has made notable progress in terms of connectivity since about 2013, but the country still trails other nations, according to Reuters.
Between 2013 and 2016 the number of people in Mexico accessing the internet increased by about 20 million thanks to telecom reform designed to wrest access from billionaire Carlos Slim's market-dominating America Movil.
"In Mexico, the third highest Internet penetration country in Latin America, most people access the web through mobile," Google said in a statement. "But even as data plans are more affordable than ever, people are always looking for ways to enjoy the web without using up their data. And access to information is still a challenge for many."
Google is working with Internet service provider Sitwifi to convert its existing hotspots to Google Station.
The hotspots are already available in Mexico City and 44 more cities around the country.
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