Facebook Zero will go live in the next few months
MWC 2010: Facebook to launch text-only Zero version
/v3-uk/news/2008525/mwc-2010-facebook-launch-text-zero-version
17 Feb 2010, Dave Neal , V3
Facebook has announced details of an upcoming text-only version of its social networking site called Facebook Zero.
The company said at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that the new version should make Facebook easier to view on mobile devices, and ease the strain on operators' networks.
Operators have to sign up to offer Facebook Zero, which is likely to launch in the next few months. The site currently shows the message: 'Sorry, your carrier does not support zero.facebook.com.'
Facebook already offers a Lite version of the site, but Facebook Zero is pitched at developing nations where the infrastructure is less capable.
The release may not come soon enough for service providers, which are struggling to cope with the huge volume of traffic generated by users of the social networking site.
Facebook dominates mobile internet use in the UK, according to figures released by the GSM Association and comScore.
Some 16 million mobile internet users in the UK spent almost 4.8 billion minutes online during December, generating around 6.7 billion total page views.
Facebook was responsible for 2.6 billion of these page views from almost five million unique users.
© Incisive Media Investments Limited 2010, Published by Incisive Financial Publishing Limited, Haymarket House, 28-29 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4RX, are companies registered in England and Wales with company registration numbers 04252091 & 04252093
Do you agree?
How did it come to this?
Social networking - what a strange phenomenon. Personally I stay well clear of Facebook and any other social networking services out there. I do not want to compromise my privacy. Yet hundreds of millions all over the world are more than willing to give up their privacy to use Facebook. I personally don't understand it (which is probably why I'm not worth £3 billion, or whatever it is that Zuckerman is worth).
Posted by Scott Deagan, 17 Feb 2010