While Facebook access has been the preserve of those with Internet access or a data plan, France Telecom Orange plans to bring a simple version of the social network to mobile phone users across Africa.

 

The service will be based on unstructured supplementary service data (USSD). Orange says it forms part of its strategy to provide mobile access to services to the “widest possible range” of customers and to open up digital services in emerging markets. USSD is commonly used in Africa for call-back services and accessing account information. The technology is found in all GSM mobile devices to send information across a 2G network.

“As USSD is familiar in the region, and as there is no barrier in terms of handset requirements, even users with older or very basic handsets will be able to stay in touch with their family and friends on Facebook through a simple and affordable text-based service,” says the company.

The service was initially launched by Orange in Egypt at the end of last year for Mobinil customers. The operator says 350 000 customers connected to Facebook via USSD in the first month. Orange is now taking the service to Côte d`Ivoire this month, and it says it will extend it to other African countries in which it operates throughout the year.

Orange is confident the service will garner over a million users in its first year, many of whom it anticipates will be using social networking for the first time. The USSD service will let users search for friends, accept and deny friend requests, update statuses and comment on and like other friends` statuses.

Explaining how the Facebook service works, Orange says: “No special applications are required to use Facebook via USSD. Customers only need to type a specific code into their phone to open a Facebook via USSD session and enter a PIN code to access the service securely.” Customers can choose between four pricing options, namely per session (10 to 20 minutes), daily, weekly and monthly. Orange says exact bundles and tariffs will be confirmed by each country as the service comes to market.

Missing elements

World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says there is no question that there will be immense appeal for getting onto Facebook via even the most basic phone. “However, USSD services are not cheap, and are priced closer to SMS rates than to instant messaging costs. That means, once people have seen the impact on their phone bills, the enthusiasm may well wear off.”

Goldstuck says the service is a win-win for Orange and Facebook. “For Orange, it gives people a compelling reason to use their network, and generates data-type rates for a non-data service. For Facebook, it allows them to grow their penetration in Africa, where they are under-represented, without having to rely on the growth of Internet access.”

Goldstuck, however, adds that, while the USSD version gives users access to the most basic information at the heart of Facebook popularity, it misses two important elements: “Namely profile photos, and access to the general photos people upload. That visual element is central to Facebook`s appeal.

“The main difference between the USSD and other ways of accessing Facebook is the level of engagement of the user; that `immersiveness` and addictive quality of Facebook does not kick when you`re using only text. The exhibitionists, the voyeurs and the busybodies will be sorely disappointed,” concludes Goldstuck.