MTN Group, a South Africa-based regional mobile telecom service provider, has partnered with Facebook to offer its customers access to the social networking company's new mobile Web site that is designed for speed.Facebook's 0.facebook.com is faster than the company's main mobile site m.facebook.com because it is text-only, lacking photos and graphics. Like the more than 50 other mobile operators participating in this program, MTN will not charge its users data transmission fees while they are on the site, which Facebook announced this week.

Photos posted on Facebook are only one click away from 0.facebook.com but standard data charges will apply when a person leaves 0.facebook.com to view photos on Facebook, according to MTN Group chief marketing officer Santie Botha.

"In the true spirit of innovation, and bringing out customers convenience -- including the latest in technology at affordable rates -- MTN has collaborated with Facebook on this venture to ensure our customers are among the first to benefit from the social service,” Botha said in a statement on Friday.

Botha said MTN launched the site after recognizing that the company’s customers across its network in Africa and the Middle East are on Facebook and use it to keep in touch. As an emerging market player operating in Zambia, Cameroon, Swaziland, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan, MTN understands customers’ challenges in terms of costs and ease of access to the Internet, Botha said.

Facebook's head of mobile business, Henri Moissinac, said the company always looks to work with innovative companies to provide simple and fast access to Facebook across the world.