MTN boosts African Opera Mini users by 1 665%

A special version of the Opera Mini mobile Web browser, launched by MTN and Opera Software last year to MTN's subscribers, has been met with great enthusiasm by MTN customers across the 15 markets where it's currently available. In a mere 12 months, MTN subscribers have increased their use of Opera Mini by 1 665%.

Opera Mini has seen a phenomenal uptake since launch, with customers in South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Cameroon, Cyprus, Liberia, Congo, Sudan, Rwanda, Liberia, Zambia and Benin showing a healthy appetite for the smart tool. As of January 2012, MTN customers in Zambia averaged 772 Web pages per month through Opera Mini - which is more than any other MTN market in Africa.

“Opera Mini has made my life much easier because it is fast and works across the country,” says Variety Marewa, a Rwandan entrepreneur. “I can check Web mail, keep in touch and informed at less than 85% of what it used to cost me.”

The introduction of customised versions of Opera Mini strengthens MTN's small-screen strategy to take customers' mobile Web experience to the next level. The collaboration with Opera Software also provides MTN subscribers with a more affordable, user-friendly and faster mobile Web experience.

“This growth is awesome,” says Lars Boilesen, CEO of Opera Software. “Nigeria is particularly exciting for us; it now ranks fourth in the world among Opera Mini users. In January, our Nigerian MTN Opera Mini users alone accessed more than 766 million pages, equalling 11.4 terabytes of data, which is compressed by up to 90% through our Opera servers. That's a whole lot of love for the mobile Web, and given the Web sites Nigerians visit most frequently, participation on a global level is something they value.”

Nigerians are most likely to visit global sites like Google, Facebook and BBC News on their phones, followed by local ones, with a soccer site being tremendously popular.

MTN Group Chief Commercial Officer, Christian de Faria, says: “By using Opera Mini, our customers get the most out of the Web, while getting one-click access to MTN content portals via their Opera Mini start page. This way, MTN subscribers can reach the content they want, with less frustration and less expense.”

Opera Mini has more than 160 million monthly users around the world, and is available on over 3 000 different phone models, including basic non-smartphones. Opera Mini compresses Web pages by up to 90% before they even reach the phone, saving consumers both time and money.