India’s choice to essentially prohibit Facebook’s pared-back free Internet service is a major setback to the strategies of the social network, and could prompt other regulators to require equivalent on-line access for their users.

Facebook will need to reconsider its strategy in the light of the new rules in India preventing Internet providers from having different pricing policies for obtaining different elements of the Web, analysts said.

“Not only because India was anticipated to be such a vital piece of the general Internet.org success story, but more so as it’s possible dangerous knock-on effects for the worldwide accessibility initiative in other marketplaces.”

Element of that’s the Free Basics plan, which Facebook has started in around three dozen nations that are emerging. The service was criticized with Facebook accused of infringing the principle of web neutrality, also, outside India – the notion that information and all sites on the Internet be addressed equally.

Internet activists and critics claim that permitting free access to Web services and a select few programs disadvantages modest content suppliers and startups which do not participate.

In Facebook places after Monday’s opinion, creator Mark Zuckerberg said Free Basics was only one part of a bigger initiative which includes solar-powered lasers, satellites and airplanes, and pairing with local entrepreneurs to provide wireless hotspots.

Facebook could also challenge the opinion in the courts, however a more likely move, said Marc Einstein, Asia Pacific manager at Frost and Sullivan, would be to take a seat with the TRAI “to attempt to develop a remedy that is deemed a bit more impartial.”

Facebook executives weren’t immediately available for comment, but India-created Karthik Naralasetty, whose blood donor fitting service Socialblood is obtainable in over 20 states via Free Basics, said Facebook was rethinking its strategy.

“Facebook is rethinking what it is doing, coming up with better strategies,” he said by phone. “Communications will need to enhance. They must get the buy in of distinct authorities until they go into those states.”