Facebook to launch zero.facebook.com

Another way to access the social network while on the go, but super stripped down

Facebook is looking to spread its mobile reach even further.  On Tuesday, over at Mobile World Congress 2010, it announced it would be launching zero.facebook.com.  

It's basically a stripped down, text only version of the site.  So no photos here.  It's intended for carriers that are experiencing bandwidth issues from its users hogging up the network's bandwidth with all the data we are accessing with our phones now.  

Facebook currently has a lite version of its Website aimed for users with low bandwidth.  So 'zero' and 'lite' kind of tie into each other, although 'lite' is meant for accessing from your computer, as opposed to your phone. 

The social networking mammoth announced last week that more than 100 million people are accessing Facebook from their phones, whether it be through applications, its mobile sites, or even through texting.  The addition of zero.facebook.com will probably only add to this large number.  

The BBC which ran a report on Facebook's new mobile site said that Facebook accounts for nearly half of all the time people in the UK spend on their phones.  This accounts to a total of 2.2 billion minutes browsing around Facebook during December of 2009.