Opera Software in talks with mobile handset manufacturers for browsing

With unique users of Internet on mobile handsets growing at a rate of 354.6 per cent annually in India, leading mobile web browsing provider, Opera Software is planning to partner with more mobile handset manufacturers for in-built Opera mobile web browser.

Quoting an Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) figures, Mrunmaiy Abroal, communications manager - India, Opera Software India Pvt. Ltd. said, "While 27 per cent of mobile phones in India, i.e. 127 million handsets, are Internet-ready devices, only two million people use Internet through these mobile handsets. At Opera, more partnerships with mobile handset manufacturers is being worked upon to boost the use of Internet on mobile phones."

Of the total Internet users on mobile handsets, 50 per cent use Opera Software's browsers like Opera Mobile and Opera Mini.

Talking about one of the fastest browsers, Opera 10.60, Shwetank Dixit, web evangelist, Opera Software ASA said, "Some new features in this version of are increased speed and much better standards support for technologies such as HTML5, CSS3 and Geolocation. The Opera desktop browser also includes Opera Turbo, which allows users to double their page-download speed on slow connections."

The recently launched Opera Mini 5.1 improves the browsing experience on phones with limited memory. Opera Mini is the world’s most popular mobile phone browser, and it delivers the best Internet experience possible on more than 3,000 mobile phone models. Its unique technology compresses data by up to 90 percent before sending content to the phone, resulting in faster page loading, improved speed and lower browsing costs. "With around half of the population of India having access to a mobile phone, it is evident that, for millions of people, their first encounter with the World Wide Web might not be on expensive desktops and laptops, but rather on their own existing mobile phones. Opera Mini takes the approach of creating a great Internet experience on as many mobile phones as possible, thus allowing for much greater participation of the people on the Web," said Abroal. "India has been one of Opera's fastest-growing markets over the past few year. Today, India represents the third-largest Opera Mini user base, after Indonesia and Russia," added Dixit.