image from Media Indonesia
Here’s some good news for Indonesia’s many social networking fans. Telkomsel will put a tiny but fully-functioning Facebook app onto some of their SIM cards phones.* The Facebook-created application can be run on more than 800 types of JAVA-based mobile phones. With no need for an expensive smartphone, this tiny app works on more affordable local feature phones.
The application is only 128kb, where Telkomsel customers will be able to enjoy this Facebook service just by accessing *252# on from their phones.
Ririn Widaryani, Deputy Vice President of Lifecycle Management at Telkomsel, said:
[With this application] Customers will be comfortable in using Facebook with a similar interface to an upscale smartphone.
With the fact that Indonesia is a mobile-centric nation, Facebook applications on a wider variety of phones will definitely receive an enthusiastic welcome from the community.
When we talk about popular social networking sites in Indonesia, we have to say that Facebook is still the champion. Indeed, Indonesia is the world’s second largest Facebook user. Not even the presence of other social media sites can make people forget their love of Facebook.
Although currently the world is talking about the new Google Plus the most familiar social media sites for Indonesians remain Facebook and Twitter. Moreover, those two services are supported by many more mobile devices – not only upscale Android phones like those from HTC, but also cheaper local feature phones for the lower-income market.
Maybe in the future, telco and handset vendors will consider Google Plus to be a must-have application on mobile devices, which would make the competition among Facebook and Twitter more interesting.
[Source: Media Indonesia]
I wonder when Plurk will be getting the same attention. (okok)
Awesome! now if only it can play facebook games as well.
I wish to bring a correction/complement to this article :
the Facebook application Telkomsel is launching will NOT be put onto the SIM cards: it is the Facebook for Every Phone application to be download onto the HANDSET.
If you wish to get an application to be “put” (or embedded) onto the SIM card, it is FACEBOOK FOR SIM which is a solution provided by Gemalto (http://www.gemalto.com/telecom/life_mobilizer/facebook.html).
Regards
Sébastien Violette
(I’m working on it at Gemalto)
I wish to bring a correction/complement to this article :
the Facebook application Telkomsel is launching will NOT be put onto the SIM cards: it is the Facebook for Every Phone application to be download onto the HANDSET.
If you wish to get an application to be “put” (or embedded) onto the SIM card, it is FACEBOOK FOR SIM which is a solution provided by Gemalto (http://www.gemalto.com/telecom/life_mobilizer/facebook.html).
Regards
Sébastien Violette
(I’m working on it at Gemalto)
Thank you for the clarification, Mr. Violette. We’ve made the adjustment in the article.
Good article. I just wish that Telkomsel would put more local apps into their phones instead of Facebook. This will help local start-ups to get more traction in the local space.
Personal Argentina and Gemalto Deploy SIM-based Facebook® Service
Oct 5, 2011 - Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, announces that Personal Argentina will go live with the Facebook for SIM software application. Personal Argentina will provide its more than 17.4 million customers with an innovative new way to access Facebook from any type of handset, and without the need for a data plan.
The software application, which is embedded inside the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM), allows you to easily access core Facebook features from the phone’s main screen, through an intuitive and interactive menu. You can receive notifications of wall posts and messages, view friend requests and status updates. To begin using the service, you simply login using your existing Facebook account credentials and it just works.
“The new Facebook for SIM by Personal allows us to continue multiplying accesses to social networks, anytime, anywhere, for millions of customers who could be connected, regardless of device they have,” said Ezequiel López Alcalá, Innovation and Value Added Services Manager, Personal.
“The launch of Facebook for SIM reinforces Personal’s history of delivering innovative solutions,” added Guillaume Lafaix, Vice President Sales Latin America South Cone at Gemalto. ”At Gemalto, we share
Personal’s vision that access to Facebook should be available to everyone, including those without access to PC-based internet, smart phones, or mobile data plans.
http://www.gemalto.com/php/pr_view.php?id=1089
Sébastien Violette
(I’m working on it at Gemalto – views here are personal)