Emerging markets across the globe are increasingly jumping on the Facebook train, despite their historically-limited Internet access.
Ran Makavy, Facebook's growth manager, said yesterday that the company's feature phone platform, Facebook for Every Phone, has surpassed the 100 million user mark - a milestone he says is significant in light of the network's quest to open up and connect the world.
This comes two years after the company launched the Facebook for Every Phone platform - a native app that works on more than 3 000 different types of feature phones from a wide range of manufacturers. According to Makavy, the devices the app works on can cost as little as $20 (about R195).
"Today, millions of people in emerging markets are relying on this technology to connect with Facebook, without having to purchase a smartphone."
He says the app is a "comprehensive Facebook experience" and feels more like a smartphone app. Users can access Facebook's characteristic features, such as News Feed, Messenger and Photos. They can also create a new account and find friends.
"[Facebook for Every Phone] is optimised to use less data than other Java apps and mobile sites, making it more affordable to try and use. We also have partnerships with mobile operators around the world to offer free or discounted data access to it."
Platform Smackdown
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With over a billion users, Facebook is the world's largest social network. SA - pegged by analysts as one of the most promising emerging markets - has over six million Facebook users.
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