Telenor, an international telecommunications company has partnered with Wikimedia Foundation to offer wikipedia mobile and other wikimedia sites access free of charge to telenor subscribers in Asia and Southeastern Europe.

In a press release published by Wikimedia, the partnership is said to target 135 million customers around the world whose primary means of accessing the web is through mobile device.

“The Wikimedia Foundation is working to remove barriers to free knowledge, and for most people around the world right now, cost and accessibility are the two biggest hurdles,” says Barry Newstead, Wikimedia Chief Global Development Officer. “We applaud Telenor for joining us to deliver free access to Wikipedia for their customers. Through this partnership, we move a step closer to providing the sum of all knowledge to everyone in the world.”

The implemention of the 3-year partnership will start immediately this year with the first markets lunching this second quarter.

There are, so far, seven signatory countries on the agreement including Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Montenegro, and Serbia but  more partners are expected to join by the end of the year.