Facebook updates and chat enabled on Africans’ basic mobile phones

Details: James Barton; Category: Consumer Ecosystems; 10 February 2011; 5583 views

Millions of Africans can access Facebook updates, news and chat using the first two-way SMS Facebook Chat service via any basic mobile phone. The new service, launched by ForgetMeNot Africa, is revolutionising communications on the continent by unifying two-way email, online chat and social networking without the need for an Internet connection...

Facebook is in huge demand across Africa, but a lack of fixed line internet and the high cost of smartphones limit access to the social networking site. In 2010 only 1.7% of the continent’s one billion people used Facebook, according to Internet World Stats.

ForgetMeNot Africa has incorporated Facebook into its unique Message Optimiser technology. Message Optimiser converts Facebook actions and Facebook Chat messages, as well as emails and online chat messages, into SMS format, and vice versa.

This enables millions of people across east, west, southern and central Africa access to the world’s most popular social network. People across the continent can now access Facebook Chat, update their profiles, ‘like’ their friends’ statuses and comment on threads, as well as exchanging email and online chat messages, from one platform, without needing an Internet connection, smartphones, device upgrades or product downloads.

The two-way Facebook communication enabled by ForgetMeNot Africa pushes comments and news posts on the user’s Facebook wall and news feed through to their mobile phone via SMS, and simply enables them to reply back in the same way.

Currently yu, the mobile brand of Kenya’s third largest telecoms network Essar Telecom Kenya, is using ForgetMeNot Africa’s technology to enable its entire 1.6 million subscriber base access to Facebook, mobile email and popular online chat services such as Windows Live, Yahoo! and Gtalk.

Further mobile phone networks using ForgetMeNot Africa’s technology in countries across east, west, southern and central Africa are expected to upgrade their unified messaging service to incorporate Facebook in the coming months.

Jeremy George, Chief Operating Officer for ForgetMeNot Africa, said: “This service unifying Facebook with email and online chat is a first for the industry, enabling millions of Africans to easily keep in touch with all their friends and family at home and all over the world. For the first time we are giving millions of Africans access to Facebook Chat services via SMS, which otherwise would be unavailable to them due to a severe lack of internet connectivity. For the vast majority of African people, basic first generation mobile phones may be the only way they will ever access social networking sites.”

“yu is leading this African social networking revolution by providing convenient access on standard mobile phones, without the need for expensive handsets or data plans. We expect more mobile phone operators to be attracted to the value added service of offering their customers email, online chat and social networking all from one platform.”

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