'''Facebook for SIM''', also called '''LinqUs Facebook for SIM''', is a client/server SIM application developed by international digital security company Gemalto that enabled people to access Facebook using the SMS protocol on their mobile phones, without needing a data plan.<ref name=gemalto>{{cite web |url=http://www.gemalto.com/telecom/linqus/personal_cloud/social_sim.html |title=Facebook for SIM: Bringing Facebook to any mobile |publisher=Gemalto |access-date=January 22, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140128083020/http://www.gemalto.com/telecom/linqus/personal_cloud/social_sim.html |archive-date=January 28, 2014 }}</ref><ref name=dumb>{{cite news | url=https://www.theregister.com/2011/10/06/facebook_sim/ | title=Facebook SIM brings social network to dumb phones | first=Bill | last=Ray | work=The Register | date=October 6, 2011}}</ref> Facebook cooperated closely with Gemalto in the development of the product.<ref name=allfacebook-announce>{{cite web|url=http://allfacebook.com/first-facebook-sim-card-released_b32504|title = First Facebook SIM Card Released|last = Cohen|first = Jackie|date = February 14, 2011|access-date = January 22, 2014|publisher = AllFacebook}}</ref> Carriers that were partnering with Gemalto to offer this service included Entel in Chile, Tigo in Colombia, and Telecom Personal in Argentina.<ref name=gemalto/>
==History== Gemalto first announced Facebook for SIM at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.<ref name=allfacebook-announce/><ref name=zdnet>{{cite news|url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/gemalto-creates-sim-card-that-brings-facebook-to-feature-phones/113|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218164231/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/gemalto-creates-sim-card-that-brings-facebook-to-feature-phones/113|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 18, 2011|title = Gemalto creates SIM card that brings Facebook to feature phones|work = ZDNet|last = Protalinski|first = Emil|date = February 14, 2011|access-date = January 22, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/facebook-takes-over-world-one-sim-card-time-125097|title = Facebook takes over the world, one SIM card at a time|last = Chansanchal|first = Athima|work = NBC News|date = February 15, 2011|access-date = January 22, 2014}}</ref>
The service launched in October 2011, with the carrier Telecom Personal in Argentina being the first carrier to adopt it.<ref name=dumb/>
In September 2013, Gemalto updated Facebook for SIM to include Facebook Messenger.<ref name=allfacebook-messenger>{{cite web|url=http://allfacebook.com/messenger-gemalto-facebook-for-sim_b124952|title = Facebook Messenger Added To Gemalto Facebook For SIM For Feature Phones|last = Cohen|first = David|date = September 12, 2013|access-date = January 22, 2014|publisher = AllFacebook}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.informationweek.in/informationweek/news-analysis/281912/gemaltos-linqus-facebook-sim-supports-facebook-messenger |title=Gemalto's LinqUs Facebook for SIM now supports Facebook Messenger |date=September 18, 2013 |access-date=January 22, 2014 |magazine=InformationWeek |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201193723/http://www.informationweek.in/informationweek/news-analysis/281912/gemaltos-linqus-facebook-sim-supports-facebook-messenger |archive-date=February 1, 2014 }}</ref>
Since then, the service has been decommissioned.<ref>{{cite web |archive-date = April 22, 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170422032811/http://www.gemalto.com/obsolete | url=http://www.gemalto.com/obsolete | title=Obsolete Products | publisher=Gemalto | access-date=March 26, 2017}}</ref>
==See also== * Facebook Zero * Google Free Zone * Wikipedia Zero
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Facebook Category:Smart cards Category:Smart cards introduced in 2011 Category:Facebook software