Facebook founder Zuckerberg would "love" to work with Google

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg used his appearance at the Mobile World Congress which opened in Barcelona on Monday to say he would "love" to work alongside Google to help bring Internet access to the developing World.

Zuckerberg made his declaration in a discussion alongside Telenor President and Chairman of the GSMA, Jon Fredrik Baksaas and representatives from Airtel Africa and Millicomm on Monday afternoon, which focused on his efforts to make Internet more widely available rather than the next move for his social networking company.

Facebook and Google have long been seen as rivals, but when asked if Facebook's Internet.org project, which looks to provide affordable Internet access for developing countries, would consider cooperating with Google's 'Project Loon' which looks to create wireless networks using high-altitude balloons, Zuckerberg said he would "love" the opportunity to do so.

"When we launched the Internet.org app in Zambia with our operator partner there, one of the apps we launched with was Google Search, because search is an important product and piece of funcionality people around the world want ... I would love to do more with them," he said.

In 2014 the Facebook founder said he hoped Internet.org would help connect the "next billion," Internet users and his request for five of the world's biggest Internet carriers to offer wireless services for free were unhappy at this, especially in the wake of Facebook's purchase of Whatsapp, which saw a fall in the number of SMS messages.

2015, however, saw Zuckerberg roll out the charm offensive, saying carriers "are leading the charge to connect everyone in the world and have been for decades."

"They have a long legacy and history in the sense of mission in industry, that's why all these folks are doing all the work to lay all the fiber, and build all towers to get this done," he said.

Zuckerberg talked about his trips to Internet.org was currently available, mentioning a "cyber village" in Jakarta and explained he had not come to Barcelona to discuss new hardware, explaining he believed there were more important issues.

"People like talking about that stuff because it's sexy. Actually the bigger deal is there are a lot of people who have grown up without the Internet," Zuckerberg said in an event where Facebook deliberately took a relative back seat.

"Too often Internet.org is Facebook," he explained. "Going forward, the face of Internet.org needs to be the companies doing the work, laying the fiber in the ground, building the infrastructure that is actually connecting people in the world." Endit