SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook has
teamed up with 50 wireless operators to offer cellphone users a
stripped-down version of the social networking site that can be accessed
without incurring data charges.
The new site, dubbed 0.facebook.com, is a
text-only version of Facebook's flagship Internet site and is specially
designed for mobile phones with limited bandwidth Internet connections.
The new site will be available beginning on
Tuesday in 40 different countries, including Brazil, India, Indonesia
and Turkey from a variety of carriers.
The
new site comes as the world's largest Internet social network continues
to grow its base and looks for ways to increase the amount of time Web
surfers spend using its service.
At
the company's annual developer's conference last month, Facebook
introduced new technology that allows third-party Web sites to integrate
Facebook features directly.
Roughly
one quarter of Facebook's 400 million users access the site on mobile
devices, according to the company.
But
Facebook wants to make the service more accessible to cell phone users
who do not own high-end smartphones such as Apple Inc's iPhone, or
phones based on Google Inc's Android software.
"We are targeting people whose major barrier
is they have little experience on the mobile Internet. They want to try
it, they want something super simple, super fast. And they are
potentially afraid of browsing costs," said Henri Moissinac, who heads
Facebook's mobile business. "If you take an iPhone user in San
Francisco, that's not his problem."
Among
the carriers partnering with Facebook are Reliance and Videocon in
India (with Tata Docomo coming soon), T-Mobile in Hungary and Vodafone
in Greece.
Customers of the
participating wireless operators will be able to access the new Facebook
site without paying any wireless data charges, Facebook said.
The 0.facebook site offers the same
capabilities as Facebook's standard website, allowing members to view
their news feed, comment on posts and send messages.
But 0.facebook will not feature any photos
or videos -- Web surfers can link to view photos and videos, although
they will be charged standard wireless data fees by their carriers at
that point.
Facebook is not paying
the wireless operators any money to reimburse them for the free usage
they provide and there are no financial terms to the partnerships, said
Moissinac.
In addition to many
so-called emerging economies in which 0.facebook will be offered, the
site will be available in the United Kingdom, Finland and Hong Kong,
among other places.
While the
United States is not among the countries in which Facebook has operator
deals, Moissinac said he hoped the site would eventually be available
there as well.