Local services and sites the key to success in the world's most active mobile Web region

New State of the Mobile Web explores Russia, Ukraine and the Commonwealth of Independent States

Oslo, Norway — March 25, 2009

Fast facts

Opera Mini increased its total consumer user-base to more than 20.5 million. This represents more than 160% growth since February 2008. Opera Mini users viewed 7.3 billion pages, a 290% increase over February 2008. Opera Mini servers processed more than 1.2 petabytes of data in February, generating more than 124 million MB of data traffic for mobile operators worldwide. Since February 2008, data transfers have grown 338%. The full report is available from http://www.opera.com/smw/.
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are the top three countries for mobile Web use in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Yandex and VKontakte replace Google and Facebook, respectively, as the top search engine and social network in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Nokia is by far the most popular handset brand used by Opera Mini users in the CIS, followed by Sony Ericsson, which boasts the number-one handset in Armenia.

Report findings

Russia and Ukraine rank high on the top countries for Opera Mini usage every month. However, there are many Opera Mini users in other CIS countries, such as Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Page-view statistics provide a good indication of how much Opera Mini is actually used by the people who have downloaded it. Uzbekistan led the way in the region with 2600% growth in the past year, while Moldova was second with more than 900% growth.

Other countries also saw impressive page-view growth numbers despite having been heavy Opera Mini users even in the past year. Page views in Russia were up almost 270%, while page views in Ukraine grew just under 400% over the past year.

Services targeted to Russian and users in the CIS remain popular. Yandex is the main search engine for most of these countries, and Google ranked ahead of Yandex only in Kyrgyzstan. Vkontakte is the top social network, although in some countries it is locked in a heated battle with Odnoklassniki. Georgia is the only country that does not feature Vkontakte in its top 10 sites.

Supporting quote

“In regions like Russia and the CIS, Opera Mini solves real-world problems of connectivity and cost, thus helping more millions of people access the Web quickly and affordably,” said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera. “Opera is on a mission to help the next billion people get online and Opera Mini users have taken it upon themselves to convince others to discover browsing on a mobile device. This grassroots support is the key to opening the Web for everyone, regardless of where they live or how they choose to connect to the Web.”

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. 220 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.