Students surf safely with Opera: Opera site license free for educational institutions

Oslo, Norway Jan. 12, 2005

Opera Software today announced that it will offer free site licenses to higher education institutions. In an effort to meet the student and university need for security on the Internet, Opera offers a secure, fast and reliable Internet browsing alternative at no cost to schools. This new offer is in response to schools' increasing concern over potential security threats students may encounter while using less secure browsers.

As Internet users become more and more concerned about security risks while surfing the Web, Opera's tightly coded, cross-platform browser serves as an alternative to more vulnerable browsers. Opera provides additional value to students by offering tabbed browsing, integrated searches and pop-up blocking. Opera's saved sessions feature can also be used as an organizational and management tool for students who are researching various topics on the Web. A number of institutions, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Oxford University, have already made Opera available to their student community.

"Opera saved me this semester," says Ashish Kumar, a Journalism major at Iowa State University. "With a heavy classload requiring extensive research, Opera served as a flexible and helpful Internet tool. It allowed me to save my Internet sessions related to specific topics, gave me the functionality to attach notes to various Web sites and offered the simple convenience of tabbed browsing. I could not ask for a better Internet research aid."

"Opera is the ideal browser for the university environment," says Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. "Opera's user-friendly features, accessibility options for the disabled, and cross-platform and customization capabilities make life easier for students to manage their various study needs. Opera is fully standards compliant and offers extensive administration possibilities for network configuration, providing flexibility to system administrators as they make Opera a part of their university network."

The Opera browser is fully customizable depending on each school's particular needs. For example, a university can use its school colors and mascot in the design of the browser's buttons, backgrounds and borders comprising the user interface. The Opera browser also features a communication banner where the school can insert news or other announcements for its students. This feature can be used as a line of communication between the school and its students.

Schools interested in Opera's free site license visit http://www.opera.com/education for more information.

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About Opera Software ASA

The worldwide World Wide Web — any device, any platform, any bandwidth, absolutely anywhere in the world. Opera Software was founded in 1994, based on the idea that access to the web should be a universal right. 250 million people (and counting) use the Opera web browsers for computers, mobile phones, TVs and other connected devices. Opera also delivers tools, distribution, engagement, monetization and market insights to developers, publishers and brands around the world. We are passionate about breaking down barriers, so everyone can share in the power of the internet. Our vision of one web for all remains at the heart of what we do, because we believe that participation changes everything. Opera Software ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com.