In another attempt to increase its current 1.1 billion user base even further, for the past two years Facebook has been quietly working on a lighter version to be deployed in developing countries such as India, according to sources.

The initiative is called Facebook for Every Phone, as many of users come from the poorest regions of the world, and pay little to nothing for downloading photos and access to news streams. Data usage is to be subsidized by both mobile phone carriers and manufacturers directly, and Facebook has only begun selling ads in this segment.

The reason for this is because there users in regions such as India who simply cannot afford high-end devices such as an iPhone, nor can they afford or subscribe to hefty monthly data plans either. As for current users, they could potentially save costs by downloading the new software from Facebook for this initiative too. As for subscription base and usage itself, compared to other Western regions, Facebook is still strong and popular in India.

In terms of generating revenues from ads, obviously Facebook’s ads would be determined by region and demographics, and in turn, this could generate interest from Indian businesses and companies who had never thought about advertising with Facebook to begin with.