Facebook will partner with 18 mobile operators in 14 different countries, to provide free or discounted data access to Facebook messaging.
The social network says: "Through this promotion, free or discounted data access will be available in the coming months on Messenger for Android, Messenger for iOS and Facebook for Every Phone, which is now optimised for chat."
Facebook says messaging is one of the most popular activities on the social network, with three out of every four Facebook users sending messages on the platform each month. Facebook currently has over a billion users, and mobile is its key growth area. Facebook's mobile services support over 6 000 types of mobile handsets.
Operators currently on-board for the service are TMN in Portugal; Three in Ireland; Airtel and Reliance in India; Vivacom in Bulgaria; Backcell in Azerbaydzhan; Indosat, Smartfren, AXIS and XL Axiata in Indonesia; SMART in Philippines; DiGi in Malaysia; DTAC in Thailand; Viva in Bahrain; STC in Saudi Arabia; Oi in Brazil; Etisalat in Egypt; and Tre in Italy.
Mobile first
Facebook has repositioned itself as a 'mobile-first' company, and has been pushing heavily into the mobile messaging space.
The social network's standalone messaging app, Facebook Messenger, was released in October 2011 and like other instant messaging services, the app allows users to send messages and photos to individuals or groups. Users can also see who is online (on mobile or Web), when someone has read a message, and when someone is typing.
This year, Facebook added a voice messaging feature to its iOS and Android Messenger apps, and has begun rolling out a voice over IP (VOIP) calling service in Canada and the US. Facebook has also removed the need for users of the Android Messenger app to have a Facebook account - allowing anyone to use the service provided they have a valid cellphone number.
According to figures from Facebook, more than 102 million users access the social network from their mobile phones only - a figure that continues to increase rapidly. Facebook's sequential quarterly growth of daily active users from 526 million to 552 million is also almost solely driven by mobile.
Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg has said mobile is a key focus area for Facebook looking forward: "Mobile is a huge opportunity for Facebook. On average, mobile users are around 20% more likely to use Facebook on any given day."
The Mobility 2012 report by World Wide Worx shows 38% of all cellphone users in SA use Facebook (with 73% growth since 2010) and the social network is already the primary means of instant messaging within the local market.
Facebook has not indicated if it will be looking to expand its new discounted messaging service to other regions, such as SA, as yet.
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