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Oslo, Norway & Kampala, Uganda: Opera Software today announced it has expanded its partnerships into Africa, strengthening the company's strategy to make its winning Web experience available to more end-users on any device, all over the world. MTN, the leading telecommunications company in Uganda, will distribute Opera Mini to its almost three million customers.
"The partnership with MTN is an obvious next step for Opera Software," said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera. "Africa has tremendous growth potential in Web browsing and MTN is a major communications company focused on the African continent. We believe that everyone should have access to the full Web no matter the location or the device. MTN and Opera Software share the vision and passion of ushering in a new era in connectivity across the African continent."
Opera Mini is designed to run on any mobile phone and offers superior performance in environments with limited memory and CPU resources. Opera Mini is built on Opera’s industry leading browser technology and is the world’s most popular mobile Web browser. According to Opera’s latest "State of the Mobile Web" report, 14.7 million people actively used Opera Mini in May 2008, viewing 2.9 billion pages per month.
People in Uganda have already discovered the power of Opera Mini to view the full Web on their mobile phones. Consumers desire a rich Web experience regardless of the device they use. With eight of the top ten sites being non-WAP oriented, it is clear that WAP will continue to diminish as more capable Web browsers are able to display full Web content on mobile phones.
Top ten sites on the mobile Web in Uganda:
1. www.yahoo.com
2. www.mocospace.com
3. www.google.com
4. news.bbc.co.uk
5. www.facebook.com
6. twilightwap.com
7. www.eacraze.com
8. en.wikipedia.org
9. www.rave2it.co.uk
10. bwin.com
“MTN has been at the forefront of bringing our customers the most innovative and efficient ways of having the world at their fingertips. With this latest addition to MTN’s solutions portfolio, we are confident that customers will find web browsing a much easier and more pleasurable experience.” said Noel Meier, MTN’s CEO. He added, “Partnering with Opera Software will enable MTN to provide this experience to our customers therefore re-affirming our commitment to being a total telecommunications solutions provider in Uganda.”
Opera Mini brings the full Web experience. People can now enjoy instant access to Web sites from any location and any device. With Opera Mini, users enjoy a desktop-like browsing experience which displays Web pages as they are meant to be seen. Advanced features like Opera Zoom provide a more intuitive browsing experience. In addition, Opera Mini utilizes Opera’s compression technology to pre-process and compress Web pages by up to 90% before sending them to mobile phones, resulting in faster page downloads without compromising end-user experience, at the same time, keeping download costs under control. Now users can browse all their favorite Web sites just like they do on their PC without acquiring huge costs.
About Opera Software ASA
Opera Software ASA has redefined Web browsing for PCs, mobile phones and other networked devices. Opera's cross-platform Web browser technology is renowned for its performance, standards compliance and small size, while giving users a faster, safer and more dynamic online experience. Opera Software is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices around the world. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com
About the MTN GROUP
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: "MTN". As at 30 September 2009, MTN recorded 108,4 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. The MTN Group is a global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and has exclusive mobile content rights for Africa and the Middle East. Please visit www.mtn.com andwww.mtnfootball.com
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