3 is offering its customers free access to Facebook via a special mobile-optimized URL, even to those with no data allowance in their contract.
Facebook fans on the 3 mobile network can laugh in the face of the economic downturn thanks to their mobile provider signing up with Facebook’s 0.facebook.com service, which gives a streamlined, no frills view of the social network.
0.facebook.com is completely free for 3 customers to access with their phone’s browser, even if on a tariff with no data allowance. Everything is stripped back to the bare minimum – there are no photos or videos, no flash games and precious little of anything else other than a very basic text-only view of your Facebook page. You can click through to access photos, etc. but as soon as you leave 0.facebook.com data is charged at your standard rate.
If you try to access the site from another network, or just from your PC, you will get a message saying your provider needs to grant access. No other UK networks have announced plans to offer access yet, however.
3 is trialling the service for a year, but “the length of the offer is at the discretion of the operator” according to the press release, which we think is code for “if this costs us a fortune we will yank it faster than you can say ‘fair use’” so get in quick while the going is good.
Available now | £free (3 customers only) | 0.facebook.com
