Facebook is offering free wi-fi voice calls for iPhone users. The service, used in conjunction with Facebook Messenger, is only available in the US currently though it may be expanded.

The facility could prove particularly popular with teenagers, helping them save money on their data plans. But how revolutionary is this move for Facebook really?

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Much cheaper

Potentially it could have serious implications for conventional mobile carriers if Facebook users simply bypass their mobile data plans. Android phones are not able to use this Facebook feature - yet.

"We started testing this in Canada the first week of the year," Facebook told the Telegraph, "and today we're extending that test to the US. We were able to expand the test so quickly because it went well in Canada and we wanted to expand the audience."

US iPhone users tap the 'i' on their profile followed by a free call button. The call is then routed through an existing wi-fi connection.


Bad job?

There are however several other alternatives to this service already. For example, Viber and
Skype offer similar free-call offerings through wi-fi networks, which are also Android-compatible.

Existing iPhone users can also use Apple's FaceTime video-chatting technology via wi-fi too. So Facebook's offering needs to be seen in the context of other competing service offerings.

At the time of writing (12.20pm, 18 Jan), Facebook shares were worth $30, some distance from its September drift under $20 but still way off its IPO offering price of $38 earlier last year.

Meanwhile Google's Larry Page has hit out at Facebook claiming, in an interview with Wired Magazine, that "they're doing a really bad job on their products".

10 biggest companies in the world

  • 1. Walmart
    <p> Wal-Mart Stores, or Walmart, is an American retailer that runs chains of discount department and warehouse stores around the world.</p> <p> The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962, incorporated on October 31, 1969, and first traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. It is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas and has around 8,500 stores in 15 countries, under 55 different names.</p>
    1. Walmart
  • 2. Royal Dutch Shell
    <p> Royal Dutch Shell, more commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in Holland, but with its registered office in London.</p> <p> With operations in more than 90 countries, it is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.</p>
    2. Royal Dutch Shell
  • 3. ExxonMobil
    <p> Exxon Mobil Corporation, or ExxonMobil, is an American oil and gas corporation formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas.</p> <p> With 37 oil refineries in 21 countries, Exxon Mobil Corporation is the largest refiner in the world.</p>
    3. ExxonMobil
  • 4. BP
    <p> BP is yet another global oil and gas company, this time headquartered in London. It has operations in more than 80 countries, produces about 3.8 million barrels of oil per day and has 22,400 service stations worldwide.</p> <p> The name BP is derived from the initials of one of the company's former legal names, British Petroleum.</p>
    4. BP
  • 5. Sinopec Group
    <p> Sinopec Group is one of the major petroleum companies in China, headquartered in Beijing.</p> <p> Its business includes oil and gas exploration as well as the production and sales of petrochemicals and chemical fibres.</p>
    5. Sinopec Group
  • 6. China National Petroleum
    <p> China National Petroleum Corporation is a state-owned fuel-producing corporation and the largest integrated oil and gas company in China. It has its headquarters in Beijing.</p> <p> CNPC - the parent company of PetroChina - was created in 17 September 1988 when the government decided to disband the Ministry of Petroleum and create a state owned company to handle all Petroleum activities in China.</p>
    6. China National Petroleum
  • 7. State Grid
    <p> State Grid Corporation of China is the largest electric power transmission and distribution company in China, once again headquartered in Beijing.</p> <p> It has subsidiaries in Northern China, Northeastern China, Eastern China, Middle China and Northwestern China.</p>
    7. State Grid
  • 8. Toyota Motor
    <p> Toyota Motor Corporation, more commonly known simply as Toyota, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Japan.</p> <p> The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father's company Toyota Industries. Its brands include Toyota, Lexus and Daihatsu.</p>
    8. Toyota Motor
  • 9. Japan Post Holdings
    <p> Japan Post Holdings is a state-owned Japanese company that deals with mail delivery and financial services.</p> <p> It is headquartered in Tokyo and was founded on January 23, 2006.</p>
    9. Japan Post Holdings
  • 10. Chevron
    <p> Chevron Corporation is an American energy company headquartered in San Ramon, California.</p> <p> It is active in more than 180 countries and is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production, and power generation.</p>
    10. Chevron


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