This is an interesting development – Facebook’s stripped down Mobile only version will very soon be available to Indian mobile users without incurring any data charges. Facebook has teamed up with 50 mobile carriers in different countries including India to offer this service.
The mobile only version – 0.facebook.com – will be currently available for two operators in India, Reliance & Videocon and Tata Docomo will soon join the ranks as well.
Here are the details given on official Facebook Blog:
- 0.facebook.com includes all the key features of our standard mobile site m.facebook.com.Users can update their status, view their News Feed, like or comment on posts, send and reply to messages, or write on their friends’ Wall just as they do on Facebook.com. Rather than making photos viewable on 0.facebook.com, we put the photos one click away so they don’t slow down the experience. You can still view any photos on Facebook if you want but your regular data fees will apply.
- Thanks to the help of mobile operators Facebook collaborated with, people can access 0.facebook.com without any data charges. Using 0.facebook.com is completely free. People will only pay for data charges when they view photos or when they leave 0.facebook.com to browse other mobile sites. When they click to view a photo or browse another mobile site a notification page will appear to confirm that they will be charged if they want to leave 0.facebook.com
This, I must say is a very good move by Facebook, especially in a country like India where people are very sensitive to pricing of data charges. Imagine, what college students will do with this kind of offering – They will go crazy on Facebook, without worrying about any charges.
Its a win-win situation for all, Facebook, the mobile service provider as well as the users. I sure see Facebook graph seeing a sharp jump in mobile users.
My only gripe is that it should have tied up with more mobile carriers, which I think should happen over the course of next few months.
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