When I see stuff like this I feel ashamed for ever thinking Africa’s use of mobile was any ‘less’ sophisticated than Europe or Asia.
I keep reminding myself of the rise of photo sharing in Brasil, the use of mobile sites like MOSH and Winksite in India, and the number of hits nokia.mobi gets from China.
Forget the ringtone-wallpaper part of the mobile services cycle. These folksk are leapfrogging right to browsing and more interactive internet-connected apps.
Fast facts
- The use of Opera Mini in Africa increased by 180 percent from January 2008 – September 2008
- Globally, Opera Mini was used by 19 million people in September 2008, a 341 percent increase from September 2007
- Opera Mini users accessed 4.5 billion pages in September 2008, a 420 percent increase from September 2007
- In September, Opera Mini’s 19 million users generated more than 65.2 million MB of data for operators worldwide
- Egypt is now the tenth largest user of Opera Mini in the world
“In September, Opera Mini’s 19 million users generated more than 65.2 million MB of data for operators worldwide”
Well, if you include wifi operators 🙂
(Opera Mini’s great though, much better than the built in S60 browser if you ask me.)
“Today over 3 billion of the world’s 6.6 billion people have cellular connectivity and it is expected that another billion will be connected by 2010. But what is often overlooked is the disproportionate impact of mobile phones on different societies, which is one of the reasons why, as researchers, we increasingly prefer to spend time in places like Cairo and Kampala: there is simply more to learn. These are places where for many, it’s the first time they have the ability to communicate personally and conveniently over distances – without having to worry whether someone can overhear the topic of their conversation – communicate with whom they want, when they want. It makes new businesses viable and creates markets where there was none. For many it’s the first time they can provide a stable fixed point of reference to the outside world – a phone number, which in turn creates a new form of identity that in turn enables everything from rudimentary banking to commerce. And not least – each new feature on or accessible through the mobile phone brings new modes of use – unencumbered by my, and probably your entrenched (and increasingly outdated) notions of entertainment, the ‘right’ way to capture and share experiences, the internet. If you work or study in the mobile space and you’re expected to innovate, these are places that bring fresh thinking and new perspectives.”
Small objects travel further, faster: Jan Chipchase in receiver magazine
http://www.receiver.vodafone.com/small-objects-travel-further-faster
Impressive! I am looking forward to the Opera Mini statistics with a focus on EU and US.
Just as competition is heating up among mobile to develop a custom version of Opera Mini for browsers, Opera may hope to grow its user base Vodafone, designed for low- and mid-priced phones. through deals with Yahoo and Vodafone.