Mobitel selects Opera Mini to bring mobile Web to customers

Opera Software, a leading provider of Web browsing solutions, said that Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, the National Mobile Services Provider, has chosen to distribute Opera Mini to its client base of over one million subscribers. Mobitel customers can now access all their favourite web sites without the need to change their handsets.

Last year, Mobitel decided to invest in additional mobile communications infrastructure for the launch of its super 3.5G services branded as M3, and further extend its GSM capacity and coverage.

With the commercial launch of M3 in December 2007, Mobitel hopes to cater to the more sophisticated needs of its subscribers by presenting them with uncompromised access to the full Internet on their handsets.

Opera Mini is designed to run on any mobile phone and offers superior performance in environments with limited memory and CPU resources. With a cumulative user base of more than 44 million, Opera Mini is built on Opera’s industry leading browser technology and is the world’s most popular mobile Web browser.

“We believe in Internet on the go,” said CEO of Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, Suren J. Amarasekera, “Compressing bulky websites into mobile-friendly sites will definitely boost Sri Lanka’s Internet penetration.

We have already launched a series of campaigns on a national scale to promote Internet not only to the busy urban society but also to rural population, for the development of our country. I have strong faith that Opera Mini will shoulder a tremendous responsibility in achieving this task.”

“Consumer demand for mobile Web access in Sri Lanka has seen tremendous growth recently,” said CEO, Opera Software Jon von Tetzchner.

“There are several well-known factors contributing to this growth, as well as projections of future growth, such as the low penetration of fixed telephone lines as well as PCs and Internet access. The availability of Opera Mini on Mobitel further boosts mass market adoption of the mobile Web while delivering an innovative browsing experience to users on any device, anywhere.”

Opera Mini brings the full Web experience. People can now enjoy instant access to Websites 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.