How people power took on big business in the fight for net neutrality in India

When Indian mobile operators tried to charge extra for messaging apps like WhatsApp, a grassroots campaign for a free internet was mobilised

At the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Jan Koum, chief executive of WhatsApp, made an announcement that would cause much unease 4,000 miles away in New Delhi. "We want to make sure people always have the ability to stay in touch with their friends and loved ones really affordably," he said. "We're going to introduce voice on WhatsApp in the second quarter of this year."

India's telecom operators were less than enthusiastic about this announcement.. With more than 70m users in India, the instant messaging platform has emerged as one of the most popular alternatives to conventional text messaging - enough to make telecom operators jittery.

Related: Can the internet be saved without harming democracy?