Globe Telecom is the First Partner in the Google Free Zone

Google in partnership with Philippine mobile phone carrier, Globe Telecom is testing a new service that free to Gmail, Google+ and Google search on mobile phones. The new service, called Google Free Zone, does not require that you have a data plan. Google Free Zone is only available to prepaid Globe and TouchMobile subscribers. Globe Telecom is the first carrier in the world to launch the service.

Globe is classifying the service as a promo and says it will run until March 31, 2013. Google goal would be to have this service provided indefinitely. This service is targeted at developing countries.

To access the service just point your phones web browser to g.co/freezone and from there you will be able to access your gmail and Google+ accounts as well as do Google web searches for free. You can post updates all day and email all day without incurring data charges. If you do click a link on your email, Google+ or one of your search queries, you will be charged carrier data fees. 

From Globe side, allowing free access to the free Google services should promote an increase in use of its paid services. 

What would be great is if Google released a Google Free Zone app, and allowed you to access the free service via their regular Gmail, Google+ and Search apps. Using a browser on a mobile is not always the best experience. But I am not complaining, although being on a data plan I won't be using the service either).