With Facebook bringing the site to people’s fingertips via their handsets, it’s amusing to imagine a similar scenario. Now Bharti Airtel has joined hands with Facebook to deliver subscribers free access to Facebook Mobile until August next month.
The Bharti Airtel – Facebook partnership allows users to access the Facebook mobile site speedily and without incurring data costs for two months. This means that Facebook members who happen to be Airtel subscribers can post status updates, message friends, comment or write on walls and even view as well as upload pictures on the SNS for free through their handsets. Current Airtel mobile internet customers can access the site right away, while those using mobile internet for the first time need to activate Facebook Mobile on Airtel to benefit from this offer.
“We are pleased to bring an industry-leading offer to our 130 million plus customers by announcing this long-term partnership with Facebook – the popular social media service. Our mobile customers will also be the first in the world to enjoy Facebook on their Airtel mobile in five vernacular languages. All of this reiterates our commitment to customers to offer the best value-for-money services that enable their lifestyles,” cited Shireesh Joshi, Chief Marketing Officer- Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel. “As India’s leading telco, Bharti Airtel has always stood for technological innovation and personalised customer experience, and this is one of many innovations coming from us.”
“Working closely with Bharti Airtel is a great opportunity to bring our full mobile experience to their 130 million customers across India,” remarked Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business at Facebook. “Today, more than 100 million Facebook users around the world access the site through their mobile devices. As mobile connectivity in India continues to grow, Airtel’s free offering of our full mobile site enables millions of people – whether they’re currently using Facebook or setting up their profiles for the first time – to connect with their Facebook friends wherever they are.”
Apart from English and Hindi, the Facebook mobile site will be made available in five Indian languages, namely, Punjabi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. These are slated to be unfurled by July 15, 2010. Users can simply text ‘FACEBOOK’ to 54321 and log in with their e-mail address as well as password to access Facebook Mobile or m.facebook.com on their phones.
Airtel customers across India can avail of free access to the Facebook mobile site over a two month period ending on August 31, 2010.
