Facebook Zero

Short description: Initiative by Facebook

Not to be confused with Free Basics by Facebook or Facebook Lite.

Facebook Zero

Owner| Meta Platforms, Inc.
Created by| Mark Zuckerberg
Website|

* 0.facebook.com
* zero.facebook.com[1]
* free.facebook.com[2]
* o.facebook.com[3]
* n.facebook.com

Advertising| Yes
Commercial| Yes
Registration| Required

Facebook Zero is an initiative undertaken by social networking service company Facebook in collaboration with mobile phone-based Internet providers, whereby the providers waive data (bandwidth) charges (also known as zero-rate) for accessing Facebook on phones via a stripped-down text-only version of its mobile website (as opposed to the ordinary mobile website m.facebook.com that also loads pictures). The stripped-down version is available online only through providers who have entered the agreement with Facebook.[4][5][6][7] Photos are not loaded by default. Users may still choose to view them by clicking through but regular data charges apply to photo use.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Reception and impact
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## History

Plans for Facebook Zero were first announced at the Mobile World Congress in February 2010 by Chamath Palihapitiya.[8] In collaboration with 50 mobile operators around the world, it was officially of launched on May 18, 2010.[4] The scheme is considered zero-rated or the practice of offering free data for some services, filtering out others.[9]

The Facebook model featured a stripped-down version of the platform, which was made available to all mobile phone owners.[10] It was offered in emerging markets to address the issue of data caps. A report explained that Facebook Zero subsidized phone data for a period, allowing for free user access.[10] Facebook also provide technical assistance to partner carriers so that the process incurs low cost.[11] In some countries, Facebook Zero is offered as part of a carrier's Free Basic data plan that could include access to Google and Wikipedia as well as localized content.[12]

Facebook Zero became controversial in some countries due to several issues such as net neutrality.[9] For instance, India's Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) bans zero-rated services on account of "discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content”.[13] A criticism also stated that Facebook is practicing digital colonialism because it is not introducing open internet but building a "little web that turns the user into a mostly passive consumer of mostly western corporate content”.[11]

Several carriers offer Facebook Zero:[4]

* Jordan: Zain Jordan
* Albania: Telekom Albania; Vodafone Albania
* Algeria: Djezzy;[14] Mobilis
* Angola: Unitel S.A.
* Bosnia and Herzegovina: ERONET
* Bangladesh: Grameenphone
* Benin: MTN Group
* Cameroon: MTN Group
* Canada: Freedom Mobile
* Croatia: Bonbon;[15] Hrvatski Telekom;[16] MultiPlus Mobile;[17] Simpa;[18] Tomato;[19] Vipnet
* El Salvador: Movistar
* Fiji: Digicel
* France: SFR
* Germany: E-Plus[20] Ortel
* Greece: WIND Hellas[21]
* Georgia: MagtiCom
* Guinea: MTN Group
* Indonesia: XL Axiata
* Kenya: Airtel Kenya
* Kosovo: iPKO
* Malaysia: DiGi
* Morocco: Maroc Telecom
* Nepal: Ncell[22]
* Pakistan: Telenor Pakistan; Jazz Pakistan, Zong Pakistan[23][24][25][26]
* Palestine: Jawwal[27]
* Panama: Cable & Wireless Communications
* Philippines: Globe Telecom, Smart,[28]
* Poland: Play[29]
* Qatar: Vodafone Qatar
* Saudi Arabia: Saudi Telecom Company[30]
* South Africa: CellC (Discontinued the service), Vodacom, MTN Group
* Suriname: Digicel
* Trinidad and Tobago: Digicel
* Turkey: Turkcell
* United Arab Emirates: Du[31]
* United Kingdom: Three
* Zimbabwe: Telecel Zimbabwe
* Zambia: Airtel Zambia

## Reception and impact

An article by Christopher Mims in Quartz in September 2012 stated that Facebook Zero played a very important role in Facebook's expansion in Africa over the 18 months following the release of Facebook Zero, noting that data charges could be a significant component of mobile usage cost and the waiving of these charges reduced a significant disincentive for people in Africa to use Facebook.[32]

Facebook Zero was also credited as the inspiration for a similar initiative undertaken by Wikipedia titled Wikipedia Zero.[33][34][35]

Google Free Zone, a similar service launched by Google in November 2012, was viewed by Internet commentators as both inspired by and a potential challenge to Facebook Zero.[36][37][38][39]

The Subsecretaría de Telecomunicaciones of Chile ruled that zero-rating services like Wikipedia Zero, Facebook Zero, and Google Free Zone, that subsidize mobile data usage, violate net neutrality laws and had to end the practise by June 1, 2014.[40][41]

In 2015, researchers evaluating how Facebook Zero shapes information and communication technology use in the developing world found that 11% of Indonesians who said they used Facebook also said they did not use the Internet. 65% of Nigerians, 61% of Indonesians, and 58% of Indians agree with the statement that "Facebook is the Internet".[42]

## See also

* Free Basics by Facebook
* Alliance for Affordable Internet
* Facebook for SIM
* Google Free Zone
* Twitter Zero
* Wikipedia Zero

## References

1. ↑ "Facebook Launches Zero, A Text-Only Mobile Site For Carriers". https://techcrunch.com/2010/02/16/facebook-launches-zero-a-text-only-mobile-site-for-carriers/.
2. ↑ "Facebook Referrals in Google Analytics". https://www.lovesdata.com/blog/facebook-referrals-in-google-analytics.
3. ↑ Airtel Introduces free Facebook
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Murlidhar, Sid (May 18, 2010). "Fast and Free Facebook Mobile Access with 0.facebook.com". Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook/fast-and-free-facebook-mobile-access-with-0facebookcom/391295167130.
5. ↑ "Facebook". MTN. http://www.mtn.co.ug/MTN-Services/Communication/Facebook.aspx.
6. ↑ "Facebook Zero - free on 2degrees!". 2degrees. http://www.2degreesmobile.co.nz/facebookzero.
7. ↑ "Facebook Zero!". GrameenPhone. http://www.grameenphone.com/whats-new/facebook-zero.
8. ↑ Wauters, Robin (February 16, 2010). "Facebook Launches Zero, A Text-Only Mobile Site For Carriers". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2010/02/16/facebook-launches-zero-a-text-only-mobile-site-for-carriers/.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Meyer, David. "Net neutrality: Key zero rating decision made by Germany" (in en). https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/networking/net-neutrality-key-zero-rating-decision-made-by-germany/.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Bergen, Mark (2014-07-07). "The Secret Sauce For Twitter's Global Growth Strategy: Subsidized Data" (in en). https://adage.com/article/digital/twitter-facebook-rate-telecom-deals-abroad/293741.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Solon, Olivia (2017-07-27). "'It's digital colonialism': how Facebook's free internet service has failed its users" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/27/facebook-free-basics-developing-markets.
12. ↑ Kebe, Cheikh M. F.; Gueye, Assane; Ndiaye, Ababacar; Garba, Aminata (2018). Innovations and Interdisciplinary Solutions for Underserved Areas: Second International Conference, InterSol 2018, Kigali, Rwanda, March 24–25, 2018, Proceedings. Cham: Springer. pp. 64. ISBN 9783319988771.
13. ↑ "TRAI Favors Net Neutrality, Suggests Guidelines In Favor Of It" (in en-US). 2017-11-28. https://thelogicalindian.com/news/trai-net-neutrality/.
14. ↑ "Services : Réseaux sociaux" (in fr). http://www.djezzy.dz/particuliers/services/reseaux-sociaux/.
15. ↑ "Problemi sa 0.facebook.com". March 26, 2014. http://www.bonbon.hr/podrska/pitanja-i-odgovori/na-bonove/ostalo-moj-bonbon-registracija-trikovi-i-savjeti/problemi-sa-0-facebook-com.
16. ↑ "Facebook Zero". http://faq.hrvatskitelekom.hr/pages/category.xhtml?question=518.
17. ↑ "Facebook zero". http://www.multiplusmobile.hr/tarifa/facebook-zero.html.
18. ↑ "Besplatni Facebook". https://www.simpa.hr/usluge/besplatni-facebook.
19. ↑ "Uvjeti korištenja besplatnog Facebooka Zero za Tomato korisnike bonova". 2013. http://www.tomato.com.hr/uvjeti-koristenja/-/journal_content/56_INSTANCE_A3LlNTBlPxJF/10501/122643.
20. ↑ "E-Plus Gruppe: Kostenloser Zugang zu Facebook". http://eplus-gruppe.de/kostenloser-zugang-zu-facebook-zero/.
21. ↑ "WIND Hellas 0.Facebook". http://www.wind.gr/en/for-individual/mobile/wind-services/facebook/0facebookcom/.
22. ↑ "Ncell launches 'Facebook Free' offer under its 'Internet for All' theme". Ncell. https://www.ncell.axiata.com/NewsDetails?ISzt553DtEWbdEa04nemdrb+bxsdLJF9WuRMtpJkRrA=.
23. ↑ "Facebook provides free internet access to Pakistani citizens". DAWN. http://www.dawn.com/news/1184763.
24. ↑ "Use Facebook on Phones for Free With Mobilink Jazz, Jazba". 22 June 2012. https://propakistani.pk/2012/06/22/access-facebook-for-free-with-mobilink-jazz/.
25. ↑ "Facebook Freebasics". https://www.zong.com.pk/value-added-services/mobile-internet/internet-packages/facebook-freebasics.
26. ↑ "Zong brings free internet in partnership with Facebook". THE NEWS INTERNATIONAL. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/83666-Zong-brings-free-internet-in-partnership-with-Facebook.
27. ↑ "أهلاً بكم في شركة الاتصالات الخلوية الفلسطينية - جوال - افراد - ما هي خدمة زيرو فيس بوك ؟". أهلاً بكم في شركة الاتصالات الخلوية الفلسطينية - جوال. https://www.jawwal.ps/index.php?page=section&pid=1403&section_parent=23&catid=1&langid=1&f=1&details=1.
28. ↑ Consulji, Bianca (November 1, 2013). "Facebook Rolls Out Zero Data Charge Access in the Philippines". Mashable. http://mashable.com/2013/11/01/facebook-philippines/.
29. ↑ "Facebook za ZERO bez reklam". http://www.blogplay.pl/2010/11/facebook-za-zero-bez-reklam/.
30. ↑ https://m.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=428979882280 [user-generated source]
31. ↑ "du Launches 0.facebook.com". May 25, 2010. https://www.du.ae/about/media-centre/newsdetail/du-Launches-0-facebook-com.
32. ↑ Mims, Christopher (September 24, 2012). "Facebook's plan to find its next billion users: convince them the internet and Facebook are the same". Quartz. http://qz.com/5180/facebooks-plan-to-find-its-next-billion-users-convince-them-the-internet-and-facebook-are-the-same/.
33. ↑ "Mobile partnerships". Wikimedia Foundation. https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Mobile_partnerships.
34. ↑ Brian, Matt (May 27, 2012). "Wikipedia Zero expands into Asia, drops mobile data charges for 10m subscribers in Malaysia". The Next Web. https://thenextweb.com/asia/2012/05/27/wikipedia-zero-expands-into-asia-drops-mobile-data-charges-for-10m-subscribers-in-malaysia/.
35. ↑ Dillon, Conon (December 18, 2013). "Wikipedia Zero: free data if you can afford it". http://www.dw.de/wikipedia-zero-free-data-if-you-can-afford-it/a-17304321.
36. ↑ "Google Free Zone". Google Operating System blog (not affiliated with Google). October 25, 2012. http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2012/10/google-free-zone.html.
37. ↑ Knowles, Jamillah (November 8, 2012). "The Philippines gets Facebook Zero-style free mobile access to Google services via Globe Telecom". TNW | Mobile. https://thenextweb.com/mobile/2012/11/08/google-and-globe-telecom-launch-freezone-for-mobile-access-to-web-and-select-google-sites/.
38. ↑ Jana (December 3, 2012). "Google Free Zone: Google's Challenge to Facebook Zero". http://www.jana.com/blog/google-free-zone-googles-challenge-to-facebook-zero/.
39. ↑ Deibert, April (February 19, 2013). "Google 'Free Zone' and Facebook 'Zero': Products Targeting Developing Populations". Innovation Series. http://www.innovation-series.com/2013/02/19/google-free-zone-and-facebook-zero-products-targeting-developing-populations/.
40. ↑ Mirani, Leo (May 30, 2014). "Less than zero – When net neutrality backfires: Chile just killed free access to Wikipedia and Facebook". Quartz. http://qz.com/215064/when-net-neutrality-backfires-chile-just-killed-free-access-to-wikipedia-and-facebook/.
41. ↑ McKenzie, Jessica (June 2, 2014). "Face Off in Chile: Net Neutrality v. Human Right to Facebook & Wikipedia". http://techpresident.com/news/wegov/25090/face-chile-net-neutrality-v-human-right-facebook-wikipedia.
42. ↑ Leo Mirani (9 Feb 2015). "Millions of Facebook users have no idea they're using the internet". http://qz.com/333313/milliions-of-facebook-users-have-no-idea-theyre-using-the-internet/.

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