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Facebook, which has over 400 million users worldwide, has tied up with Indian wireless operators — Reliance Communications and Videocon — to make the site available for cell phone users with zero data charges.

For this purpose, the entity has launched a new site ’0.facebook.com’ that includes all key features of Facebook but is optimised for speed.

“Today, we are launching … ‘0.facebook.com’. “It, initially, is available through more than 50 mobile operators in 45 countries and territories with zero data charges,” a programme manager for Facebook Mobile, Sid Murlidhar, wrote in a blog on Wednesday.

In India, the new site would be available on the networks of Reliance and Videocon, the blog said.

Noting that the new site is fast and free, Murlidhar said it has key features of standard mobile site ‘m.facebook.com’ such as updating user status, send and reply to messages, among others.

”… 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,” he added.

According to the blog, over 100 million people are actively using Facebook from their mobile device.

Other countries where the new site would be available include Brazil, Denmark, Greece, Finland, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Hungary and Indonesia.

Story url : http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/article433772.ece