Airtel, Opera sign arrangement for mobile browser

Telecommunications company, Bharti Airtel, has signed a global arrangement with Opera Software to offer a customised and co-branded version of Opera Mini internet browser for Airtel mobile customers

Airtel, a leading integrated telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, said in a statement issued in Accra that with the signing of the arrangement on Thursday in Nairobi,Kenya, over 253 million Airtel customers across countries in South Asia and Africa would leverage Opera Mini’s proxy-server-based technology to compress data by up to 90% and decrease their data transfer costs.

Designed for speed and ease of use, Opera Mini provides fast browsing on nearly any mobile phone.

It is proven to make browsing up to nine times as fast as client-only mobile browsers on both 2/2.5G and 3/3.75G networks.

The statement said with its small footprint and high level of usability, Opera Mini provides a consistent user experience across a broad range of handsets.

“In today’s African markets, data services are quickly becoming as important to our customers as voice services. This is why Airtel is committed to providing consumers with the most innovative and efficient products and services, which will have a positive impact on their experience,” said Andre Beyers, Chief Marketing Officer, Airtel Africa.

“By leveraging Opera’s tried-and-tested set of solutions that lead to consistent and full-web user experience, we are excited to provide a superior browsing platform to Airtel mobile customers in 17 countries of our operations in Africa. We are confident that this association will be instrumental in helping us deliver a truly customized, enhanced and optimized browsing experience for our data users,” he added.

Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software, said, “Our primary drive is to provide the best user experience, no matter what device people use. There are millions of users with basic mobile phones instead of smartphones, and Opera Mini gives even the most basic phone a smartphone-like web experience.”

“We are happy to welcome Airtel into our partner community. Airtel's strong presence in emerging markets, combined with Opera Mini's technology, will make the mobile web available to millions of new users."

Opera Software has agreements with 13 out of the top 30 operators globally. Used by over 168 million users, Opera Mini is the world's most popular web browser on mobile phones.**