Opera Software acquires subscription-based mobile-app-discovery service Bemobi Bemobi

Opera Software, a Norwegian software company known for its Opera family of web browsers, on Saturday announced its acquisition of Bemobi, a Latin American subscription-based mobile-app discovery service, for an undisclosed sum.

Bemobi, which works in close partnership with mobile carriers and smartphone OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) reaching over 500 million mobile subscribers in Brazil and Latin America, offers the 'Netflix-style' subscription service for premium Android apps. Its proprietary app-wrapping technology allows smartphone owners access to unlimited use of premium mobile apps for a small weekly fee.

"Opera has expanded rapidly in the mobile-app ecosystem, and our goal is to innovate within this space in a manner that benefits everyone. Bemobi is a natural fit for Opera in this direction," Lars Boilesen, chief executive officer (CEO) of Opera Software, said in a press release.

"Bemobi plans to expand globally, leveraging Opera's strategic assets by building on the early success of its subscription-based, app-discovery service in Latin America," said Pedro Ripper, CEO of Bemobi.

With this acquisition, Opera can now bring scaled value to all players in the mobile ecosystem, including end users, mobile-app developers, mobile operators and handset manufacturers. For Opera's premium app-developer partners, Bemobi's reach, with over six million active subscribers, provides an effective channel through which they can get their apps discovered and monetised across Latin America, the release added.