Vodafone Partners with Opera for Mobile Web in Emerging Markets

Vodafone is partnering with Opera to bring mobile web to developing countries. The British telecom giant said it would begin to offer handsets bundled with a customized version of the Opera Mini 5 web browser in several emerging markets. The company believes this will enable simple 'feature phones' to get rich Internet content even in areas that only have basic 2G coverage.

Opera Mini isn't a web browser per se, as it doesn't render the web pages locally. Rather, all of the web content first goes through Opera's servers where it is processed and compressed.

All of the elements not suited for a mobile browsing experience are stripped out and the page is then sent to the phone. This results in a significantly smaller page, in some cases, the compression going up to 90 percent, which not only puts less strain on the wireless connection but is also faster on underpowered handhelds.

"With this product, we can transform even basic handsets into very capable Internet browsing devices, enabling millions of people to enjoy the social and economic aspects of the Internet that many already take for granted," Jonathan Bill, Vodafone Internet Services head of Emerging Markets, said.

The customized Opera Mini browser will be made available in several Vodafone-branded phones in India, South Africa, Turkey, Tanzania and Egypt. The program is expected to be expanded to other markets after the initial roll out. Vodafone states 20 devices will come with Opera Mini pre-installed and the browser will be made available for more than 250 devices offered in the Vodafone network.

The telco reveals it is also launching "a string of highly affordable data tariffs" to ensure that subscribers in these developing countries can actually afford to go online. Data plans can add up to a significant sum in these regions even if Opera Mini uses up considerably less bandwidth. This isn't the first time Vodafone has made a move in the potentially very lucrative, emerging markets, having recently announced the Vodafone 150, which will sell for $15 unsubsidized.