Nepalese telco Ncell says it is collaborating with Meta to allow mobile subscribers to access Facebook Basic Mode and text-only web browsing even if they used up their data balance or don’t subscribe to a data package at all.
Under the collaboration with Meta, revealed on Wednesday, Ncell customers can access Facebook Basic Mode, a stripped down version of Facebook that displays images and text. They can also use Discover, an Android app that enables text-only web browsing.
In both cases, the apps don’t support streaming audio or video, but can be accessed without a data package, or when a customer’s data allowance runs out, Ncell said. In Facebook’s case, customers can access the full version as long as they have a sufficient data balance, and will drop down to Basic Mode when the data runs out.
Both apps are also subject to Ncell’s fair usage policy.
While the offer is expected to especially benefit 2G customers by giving them basic internet access, Ncell’s chief commercial officer Umair Mohsin noted that even in urban areas with good mobile broadband coverage, many people remain unconnected or under-connected because they can’t afford to have data consistently.
“We strongly believe that this initiative contributes to increasing internet adoption in Nepal and ensures that some basic services remain available on our customers’ mobile devices,” he said in a statement. “Collaborated efforts like this will take a significant stride towards the achievement of the objective of a digitally inclusive Nepal.”
