U2opia Mobile, a Singapore-based software applications developer has developed a new application for mobile phones that will allow users to access Facebook without paying for a data connection and works well on all handsets.

Mr Sumesh Menon, said,

It is like SMS and hence, the load on the network is negligible. We have built some commands through which a user can receive alerts on activity happening on his wall as well post an update.

The company has developed this application using USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) technology. USSD is a protocol used by GSM cellular telephones to communicate with the service provider’s computers. It is mainly used for sending alerts to users that give information about balance or for sending missed call alerts.

U2opia launched this application with Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel.

Airtel users can dial *325#  (*fbk# for non-qwerty phones) to access Facebook without subscribing to data plans.

Shireesh Joshi, Bharti Airtel Director – Marketing, Mobile Services, said in a statement

In the Indian market scenario, where the penetration of smart phones is relatively low and the use of Internet on mobiles is primarily limited to key cities, many users are excluded from accessing their Facebook accounts via mobile phones

Via EconomicTimes