In the past week there has been a lot of discussion on the internet about “Facebook Lite”, the new version of Facebook that has recently been released for beta testing.

Facebook Lite is apparently intended for users who have slower internet connections, for example on mobile. This may open up new opportunities for mobile marketing.

Although many people at first assumed that Facebook Lite would be targeted as a “Twitter Killer”, it turns out that Facebook has a more substantial reason for developing the new service. The official Facebook statement on the new product is:

Over the past year, Facebook has done a lot to provide opportunities for brands to connect with their users using Facebook. For example, companies can build their own branded pages on Facebook, and can place small ads on other pages throughout Facebook to publicize their branded page (check out these links for Facebook advertising and marketing information).

The beta testing so far has taken place in India, and early reports are that Facebook Lite is much faster than the standard version. There are also stories that the service will be rolled out in Russia and China later this year.

There are quite a few markets – particularly in Asia and Africa – that currently have low internet connectivity, and where mobile is expected to become the primary means of access to the internet. If Facebook Lite becomes as popular with mobile subscribers in these countries as it currently is with internet users in other countries, then this may well become a significant marketing opportunity that companies – especially global brands – will need to pay careful attention to.