Vodafone on Thursday  announced the world’s first designated prepay phone specifically designed to put the Facebook experience into the heart of the handset, allowing people to easily share and connect with their friends when they’re on the move.

The Vodafone 555 Blue, developed in collaboration with Facebook, puts popular social networking functions – from status updates to sharing a photo – into the hands of millions of people in an attractive, intuitive and competitively priced mobile phone.

Vodafone’s Group Terminals Director Patrick Chomet said, “The mobile internet plays a central role in the daily lives of more than 87 million Vodafone customers, many of whom are avid Facebook users. The Vodafone 555 Blue is a unique and innovative handset, designed and developed by Vodafone to offer a simple but powerful Facebook experience for people in both emerging markets and developed economies who want to stay in touch with their friends, wherever they are.”

“Facebook wants to make every phone social and Vodafone has taken the integration of Facebook to the next stage for an affordable mobile device with the Vodafone 555 Blue,” said Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business, Facebook . “We’re really happy that Vodafone will distribute this phone globally and we hope to do much more with them to bring the mobile, social internet to people everywhere.”