Trials of Facebook Lite begin

Beijing, August 13 (Xinhuanet) -- In a move that will prove a big hit to those with slow Internet connections, Facebook has begun tests on a new less heavy website. Facebook Lite, which is being trialled in India, is a cut-down version of the traditional graphics heavy version of the site.

"Facebook Lite is a fast-loading, simplified version of Facebook that enables people to make comments, accept friend requests, write on people's walls, and look at photos and status updates," the company said in a statement. "We are currently testing Facebook Lite in countries where we are seeing lots of new users coming to Facebook for the first time and are looking to start off with a more simple experience."

Facebook has an estimated 250 million users worldwide, though many exist in Europe, the United States and Canada where Internet speeds are faster. The company hopes that by providing a service that can be used on slower connections it will attract more users. While Facebook Lite is only available in India at present, it is believed plans are afoot to extend this to China and Russia. The news of Facebook Lite comes within days of Facebook acquired content-sharing service FriendFeed.

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