Opera Mobile

What a day!! Finally I could send out the press release announcing the Opera Mini users have browsed a whopping ONE BILLION Web pages since the launch in January! I've been in the office since 7 am this morning, the phone's been ringing off the hook, and I have forgotten to eat, drink, hassle my colleague Berit and even go to the bathroom. I love days like this!

So ONE BILLION page views! What does that mean, and is it really that important?

Ooooh, yes.

First of all, the mobile content/entertainment industry and operators have been trying to get people to use data services for years. But the pick-up has been slow, they say. For example, Telecom TV reports that Vodafone has decided to "halt its 3G hype":

Vodafone has done a U-turn and is about to begin downplaying services and applications such as MMS, video-downloads and mobile Web access to concentrate on convincing users of the delights of 3G as a good voice technology.

Also, two recent surveys indicate that "mobile data [is] a big turn-off for consumers".

I don't agree.

In just over six months, Opera Mini has attracted more than FIVE MILLION USERS, who have until now browsed ONE BILLION WEB PAGES. That's spectacular. It means that if the service is something people find very useful, easy and inexpensive to use, they will indeed use it. I am not aware of any Java-based mobile application that has had more success than Opera Mini.

Hear ye, hear ye, operators and content providers
This should be a huge eye-opener to mobile operators and content providers: People don't want to be limited to WAP and expensive walled garden content. They want the full Web and the ability to search, surf and find the info and content they want, without having to pay through the nose to get it.

Operators know this. It's not rocket science (even rocket science is not rocket science, I've heard). But letting their valued subscribers loose on the World Wild Web scares them. Of course it does. Because why would people pay a dollar for driving directions or 50 cents to get someone's number when they can just go to mapquest or the phone book with their browser? The anwser is they wouldn't. And they don't. Not really. That's why Vodafone has decided to "halt its 3G hype". That's why "mobile data is a big turn-off for consumers."

Mobile data is not a turn-off for consumers; Overly expensive, walled garden content is.
Opera Mini has proved that today.

With the traffic that Opera Mini and Opera Mini generates over mobile networks, there is a fortune to be made by the operators. And they can please their customers by providing them with something they want: Low-cost, free Web access on their mobile phones. T-Mobile has understood this, and their Web'n'Walk offering has been a huge success.

Bridging the digital divide
Opera Mini is also very popular in countries where owning a PC is not common. In countries like Bangladesh, India, South Africa and China (and so on), many people can't afford a PC, but many own a mobile phone. With the free Opera Mini browser, the Internet is no longer only for the privileged, but accessible by most people with a mobile phone - regardless of location. Well, almost regardless of location. That means people can access news, information and communicate with friends and family via email only using their phones. There are millions of people in the world who own mobile phones, but who will not able to buy a PC. Not even a $100 dollar laptop with a power-generating handle on the side, as great of an initiative as that truly is.

So, there it is. That's how important today's announcement is. Opera Mini - 1 billion page views. And we have only begun.

Now, excuse me, I really really need to pee.

Russel Beattie just wrote:

I'll admit I've gone back and forth on my opinions of the new .mobi TLD. But I've finally made the firm decision that it's definitely a step forward for the mobile web.

I agree that this is a step forward for the mobile Web because it focuses on the very concept of browsing the Internet from mobile devices. That said, I fear it may complicate things: There is one Web, and that one Web should be accessible regardless of the device you are using. That's why making mobile stylesheets makes a lot of sense for Web developers. People shouldn't have to remember a different URL just because they are on a different device than their PC. With Opera Mobile and Opera Mini, we use Small-Screen Rendering to display desktop-sized Web pages on small screens. Sites that use mobile stylesheets are left untouched. The URL is the same.

Opera is one of the sponsors of the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Mobile Web Initiative (MWI). If you're not familiar with the group's work, it's worth taking a look at their Activity Statement, the last part of which reads as follows:

... Mobile Web access today still suffers from interoperability and usability problems. W3C’s Mobile Web Initiative (W3C MWI) proposes to address these issues through a concerted effort of key players in the mobile production chain, including authoring tool vendors, content providers, handset manufacturers, browser vendors and mobile operators.

Or, as I say every night before going to bed:

I believe in Tim Berners-Lee, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of the Internet,
and in the World Wide Web, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived at CERN,
born of the Open Standards,
suffered under proprietary tyranny,
was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into Redmond.

The third day He arose again from the dead.

He ascended into the W3C
and sits at the right hand of Tim the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the advocates of two different Internets.

I believe in one Internet, the holy World Wide Web,
the same for all devices
the redundancy of .mobi
the resurrection of the standards
and one unified Web everlasting.

Amen.

The Opera shares reached an all-time high today. The reason seems to be our two latest announcements of two very important contracts - one with T-Mobile and one with Debitel, a leading European telecoms service provider, both showing the compelling importance and value of offering a mobile Web browser on handsets.

T-Mobile: Will pre-install Opera Mini on three high-volume feature phones, with more to come, thus expanding their Web'n'Walk offering to their entire customer base. [stock announcement]

debitel: Will utilize Opera's entire portfolio of mobile solutions (Opera Mini, Opera Mobile and Opera Platform) across their entire device portfolio over the next two years. [stock announcement]

This really shows what we have been saying for a long time - that mobile Internet is really here, and when two such major operators choose Opera for their devices it is a testament to the quality of our products and ability to deliver.

Pssst... I am in the US this week to prepare analysts and journalists for the upcoming launch of Opera Mini. As anyone who reads my blog knows, we are very excited about this release here at Opera. The very concept of mobile Web browsing is still a novelty to most people, so we have an important job to do in terms of educating the market on the possibilities and growing importance of the mobile Web. I think Opera Mini will take us a long way in that respect. Let 2006 be the year when Opera kickstarted the mobile Internet revolution!

I love meeting press and analysts and show them Opera Mini. Especially if they have never tried the Opera browser on a mobile device. Seeing is believing.

WOW, this is AWESOME!

I'll smile, lean back and say... I know.

Last week Opera Mini received the Gold Mobile award for "Best application for mobile phones" at the annual Swedish Mobilgala event in Stockholm.

What's really nice about this award is that it is based on popular vote by the readers of Sweden's leading mobile magazine, Mobil.se. It's when we get this kind of user feedback that we know we are doing something right.

Opera Mini is so far only available in the Nordics and in Germany and we are building up for the global launch that will happen very soon. Despite the limited availibility, Mini is building up an impressive track record. The real test of any mobile applicatition is not whether a lot of people download it, but if they actually use it too, right? And not only do people download Opera Mini, but they do use it; On average, users surf between 10 and 30 Web pages every time they fire up the browser!

What does this mean? Well, firstly, people like it. Oh, this is important, so let me do this in bullets to make it clear. So:

1. People like it

Opera Mini is free of charge and it gives people full and fast Web access on their existing mobile phones. That's a pretty good package.

2. Content providers can suddenly reach the mass market with existing Web based services and content. And anyone who can create a Web page can now create mobile services aimed at the mobile user. With Opera Mini, the market has suddenly expanded dramatically.

3. Operators can drive data traffic across their entire customer base. According to Nokia's 2005 Smartphone360 Study, almost 60% of data traffic on mobile networks is generated by Web browsing. Yet only a tiny percentage of any operator's customers own a smartphone that is powerful enough to run a full Web browser. With Opera Mini, almost the entire customer base can surf the Web on the handsets they have today. Do the math.

And to throw in one more thing: Branding. Any operator, content provider or company can have their own branded versions of Opera Mini to offer to their customers, clients, employers, fans or interest groups. The startpage is fully customizable, can be updated over the air. If you're interested in this, please contact us.

Here at Opera we are making the last preparations for the full global launch of Opera Mini, and we can't wait. Are you ready to drive mobile Web surfing into the mainstream this winter?