(Oslo, Norway - 25 August, 2010) - The Telenor Group and Opera Software announce a non -exclusive Global Frame Agreement aiming to stimulate rapid growth of mobile Internet services across Telenor's business units. Telenor's business units can co-brand, distribute and run the Opera Mini mobile browser across its mobile handset and subscriber portfolios. As a result, Telenor's customers in all geographies will be able to enjoy a fast, affordable and user-friendly mobile web experience on their favourite handset.
Under the agreement, Opera Software and any of Telenor Group's business units may develop a co-branded version of Opera Mini that is adapted to the local operator. Opera Mini is the world's most popular mobile phone browser with 60 million monthly users.
As part of the Global Frame Agreement, Opera and Telenor will also work to further innovate and expand the scope of the mobile web.
"Telenor has a vision to provide mobile Internet with a great user experience to everyone. We are confident that this agreement will help us provide Internet to a larger user group across the world. " says Morten Karlsen Sørby, EVP and Head of Corporate Development, Telenor Group. ", We are thrilled to work closely with Opera, a company that spun out of Telenor in the late 1990s, and have grown to become one of Norway's most successful technology exports."
"Our goal is simple: help Telenor grow its user base and revenues by delivering an unparalleled Internet experience to every local operator in the Telenor network. Telenor's strong global position is a result of their relentless commitment to the customer, in markets as diverse as Sweden, Russia, Bangladesh and Hungary," says Lars Boilesen, CEO, in Opera. "We are proud of our heritage from Telenor's research labs. Today, we join efforts to give more people the opportunity to fully enjoy the web on their mobile phones."
The first deployment of Opera Mini in the Telenor network is scheduled for September.
