Telstra has launched a free SMS service that lets customers receive Facebook notifications via text messages.

The service is the first of its kind in Australia and is available to both prepaid and post-paid Telstra customers. It can be configured to send an SMS message from Facebook for events such as wall posts, comments, event invites and private messages.

"Telstra’s new SMS service is another example of how online and mobiles are converging in a way that means customers are choosing the best platform to suit particular needs throughout the day," said Jenny Young, Telstra Consumer Executive Director.

"People don’t need to wait until they get to work now to find out if their Facebook has been updated; they can be alerted on their mobile while they are out and about, and send an update straight back."

Users of the service can configure the settings for the notifications via Facebook, including the regularity and number of messages sent each day, as well as the times they wish to receive the messages.

In addition to sending alerts via SMS, users of the service can also update their status or reply to a message for the cost of a regular text ($0.25).

"Our goal is to make sure that Facebook is available to users when they are out and about, on the device of their choice," said Henri Moissinac, head of Facebook Mobile.

Telstra customers are required to activate their mobile service on Facebook to receive the updates. This can be done by texting "fb" to 019832665, at the cost of a standard SMS.

Settings and more information can be found on the Facebook Web site.

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