Social buffs in India who love staying in touch with their friends and family without internet issues and any other interruption can now lend an ear to this piece of information. Bharti Airtel has announced that beginning today, users can simply dial *325# to access Facebook without subscribing to data plans.
The company has introduced the USSD-based service that will enable users to effortlessly update their Facebook status messages, comment, like news feed, post on friends’ walls, search, add and confirm friends and view notifications without using the internet or activating GPRS capabilities. Based on Fonetwish developed by U2opia Mobile, this new service can be enjoyed by Airtel users in India and is further expected to allow more users.
“In the Indian market scenario, where the penetration of smart phones is relatively low and use of internet on mobile is primarily limited to key cities, many users are excluded from accessing their Facebook accounts via mobile phones. The need for a ubiquitous access mechanism is a growing necessity and that’s exactly what Airtel’s USSD service for Facebook will help deliver. Facebook is seeing exponential growth in India and the popularity of this platform runs across demographics. We look forward to bringing millions of Facebook users in India closer to their love for social networking by allowing them to access it anytime, anywhere on their Airtel powered mobile phones,” commented Shireesh Joshi, Director, Marketing, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel.
Using the USSD-based service, users can access Facebook and update their status for no extra charges. However, Rs. 1 will be deducted for accessing the complete feature application, comprising viewing news feeds, commenting on or liking news feed stories, posting on friends’ walls, confirming friend requests, viewing notifications, and finding and adding friends.