Desperate to update your status on Facebook and you can’t get a data connectivity. Govt owned telecom operator BSNL has introduces a simple way for its customers to access Facebook – through USSD service, without any internet or data connectivity.
Unstructured Supplementary Service Data ( USSD ) is a menu-based system that enables interfacing with content based services. It’s just what you may have been using to activate various VAS services on BSNL by dialing *123#. Now instead of using a mobile web-browser to open and browse Facebook or use Facebook App, which need an active internet connection, the USSD service acts as a browser interface to pull content to your phone. So you don’t need any internet connection and it significantly reduce your cost of using this services.
BSNL customers can access Facebook on their mobile using USSD by dialing the code *325#. It will allow users to access their Facebook accounts, view/post status messages, respond to friend requests, write on friends’ walls, view birthday reminders and send messages, all without any internet or data connection. Users will get charged by around Rs 4 for 3 days plan, Rs 10 for weekly plan and Rs 20 for a months plan.
BSNL has partnered with U2opia Mobile for the Facebook USSD service. Currently the service is launched in East and South BSNL Zones and shortly going to be launched in West and North Zones.
It’s not the first time a Indian telecom operator offering such a service, earlier Bharti Airtel and Tata Docomo also offered Facebook on USSD service.