Social Networks Dominate the Mobile Web

Opera unveils first State of the Mobile Web report

Oslo, Norway — May 20, 2008

Traffic to social networks comprise almost 40% of the mobile Web according to Opera Software's "State of the Mobile Web" report, published today. The results both show healthy growth in the numbers of consumers accessing the Web from their mobile devices and provide insight into aggregate consumer preferences when browsing from their phones. The report is available in its entirety from www.opera.com/mobile_report/.

Select global highlights from the first quarter report:

Social networking consumes almost 41% of traffic: The United States, South Africa and Indonesia have more than 60% of their traffic going to social networks.
More than 11.9 million people used Opera Mini in March to browse 2.4 billion pages. Thus far, more than 44 million cumulative users have tried Opera Mini.
Those 11.9 million people generate more than 33 million MB of data traffic for operators worldwide.
One Web will triumph over WAP content: Full Web surfing comprises more than 77% of all traffic. WAP content still generates the remaining 23% of traffic. WAP percentages have declined somewhat as more consumers realize Opera Mini can access rich Web content.

"The mobile Web is also the social Web," said Jon von Tetzchner, Chief Executive Officer, Opera Software. "With social networks dominating Opera Mini's traffic, it is clear that people use their mobile browser as yet another communication tool on their phone. I find it reassuring to see that there is decreasing distinction between the types of Web content people use on the mobile device - it really is one Web, with people using whichever device they choose to connect to that Web."

As the world's most popular Web browser for mobile phones, Opera Mini provides an elegant, fast and rich Web browsing experience. While some Web browsers work on only 20 to 30 phone models, Opera Mini runs on more than 800 different handsets, making it the available to the widest range of consumers worldwide. Almost every phone with Java can run Opera Mini. Completely free for anyone to download and use, Opera Mini is available from www.operamini.com.

Data in the report is based on aggregate and anonymous statistics from Opera Mini servers. All percentages are based on a snapshot of the Top 100 sites for each region.

Beyond providing a snapshot of worldwide browsing trends, Opera's "State of the Mobile Web" highlights the browsing trends in the ten countries where Opera Mini is most popular: the United States, Russia, China, Indonesia, India, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, South Africa and Ukraine. Subsequent reports will include updates for these countries as well as different regions around the world.

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.