Facebook, the world's largest social network, has introduced a new targeting capability that allows advertisers to reach users based on the type of network they use to access the Internet, including 2G, 3G and 4G.
The move comes as increasing numbers of people in high-growth countries, like SA, are accessing the Internet via mobile.
Advertisers could, for example, use bandwidth targeting to tailor content to its audience via video ads for smartphone users with 3G or above, and images for those on slower networks.
"In these countries, a mobile phone is much more than a way to place calls and send messages. It's often a true lifeline, providing information about prices at markets, healthcare, banking, employment, entertainment and everything in between," says the company in a blog post.
The flip side of this rapid change, says Facebook, is that network speeds in high-growth countries can vary and infrastructure is constantly changing. "This fragmented environment makes it difficult for businesses to reach people with valuable experiences on their mobile devices."
The company hopes the new capability will solve the need for marketers looking to reach consumers across the globe, on multiple devices and on multiple connection speeds. The move is expected to help companies reach markets where limited data plans and feature phones are common, in particular.
Facebook already offers advertisers the option to reach people based on the type of device they use - including smartphones, feature phones and tablets ? as well as device model and operating system.
Bandwidth targeting is now available globally via the Ad Create tool, Power Editor and the application programming interface, says Facebook.
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