Who doesn’t like free goods and free services? In a world where data is comparatively expensive, free internet is surely a great thing. Moreover, where everyone is hooked on social media, free Facebook on data is definitely a sweet deal. So Ncell has brought ‘Facebook Free’ in Nepal. Ncell has already been providing free Twitter and Free Wikipedia to its mobile service users. People are enjoying these services very much. Adding more features, ‘Facebook Free’ has been announced whose aim is “Internet for All”.
People are very happy about this scheme. On the surface, this seems like a free internet service for people but there are a few conditions and limitations to this. This project is done with the collaboration of Ncell and Facebook. It is only going to be valid for 3 months. So it can be taken as a trial phase. This free Facebook service will work with both pre-paid and post-paid service users of Ncell. Both Android and iOS are supported by this program. People can either use Google Chrome, Safari, Facebook App, or Facebook Lite App to enjoy this service. So it is partially free Facebook only and not free internet.
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Free Facebook with Ncell
The program’s name is actually ‘Facebook Free’ and it is a program of Facebook. It is part of a big project of Internet.org. In this scheme project, the companies want to provide free web services to users. So people will get to use selected websites and web services for free. Thus this is not totally free internet as we wish in a utopian world. There are limitations and restrictions in this scheme. This is why we have called it a partial zero rating.
As told, Ncell users can only use a few apps to enjoy this service. It can be with the official Facebook app or Facebook Lite app for both Android and Apple users. Similarly, Apple users can only use the Facebook app or Safari browser. Just like that Android users can only use the official app or Google Chrome. Browsing through other browsers such as Opera, and Firefox, or even using the Messenger app is chargeable. However, chatting through a web browser like Chrome is free. So it is free Facebook but with a few limitations.
How To Use Free Facebook from Ncell
Ncell’s ‘Facebook Free’ is available for all existing and new customers. This is available for prepaid or postpaid consumers. In order to use this service, Android users can directly use the Facebook app or Chrome browser and use it freely by clicking on the “Go To Free” button. In the case of iOS, users need to activate it by dialing “*17114#”. This will give you a link to start the free service mode of ‘Facebook Free’.
In this scheme or service, we can get free services for uploading status, uploading photos, liking posts, sharing, and commenting on others’ content. It is very simple for everyone to enable this feature. Once we open the app or site, we will see the “Go To Free” button at top of the app or site while browsing through data. After clicking on the button, the free service will start.
Also Read: NTA Net Neutrality Policy
What is the Catch?
The whole program may look like a big deal and it is a big deal but it is not completely free. As per the information available in the public domain, uploading photos, statuses, liking, commenting, and sharing via browsers is free. But if we wish to look at the photos uploaded by other users will have to pay. This means we won’t be able to see photos uploaded by others.
We also won’t be able to see featured images of news articles and posts uploaded by news organizations or our favorite creators. Thus, we users are going to see the “Use Data to see photo” button. Pressing on that button will enable us to see photos but it will attract charges.
So if we wish to see photos of others or if we wish to read a news article posted by any other page, it will attract normal data costs. Therefore everything is not free. Actually, the photos and news articles do make up most of the content. Thus it actually becomes an incomplete experience for users. Still, if we can get a lot of information through text statuses and messages through browser or app.
Be Careful of Background Data Usage
Facebook and Ncell are true to their words because Facebook Free does provide free Facebook for selected services. However, while using this we have to turn on data and at that time other apps can consume data. This means the apps can use background data. Therefore we should be very careful because other apps can consume our valuable paid data in the background. We recommend using background data restriction and data saving modes on the phone to make sure we don’t lose money due to apps updating themselves or taking unwanted data.
