Facebook leads mobile web usage

While Bangladesh is at the threshold of adopting 3G services, it has a vast pool of mobile users who have already had their first experiences of accessing the internet from their handheld devices. Opera Software, makers of the Opera Mini browser for mobile devices, has released a State of the Mobile Web report for Bangladesh that gives insights on the surfing habits of these mobile internet users in the country.

Opera Mini is the browser used most often by Bangladeshis to access the internet from their mobile devices. During the last year, the number of Opera Mini users in Bangladesh increased by 129%. The following insights are based on the browsing behavior of Opera Mini users across mobile platforms.

Highlights from State of the Mobile Web report:

Facebook leads mobile web usage
Every three out of every four webpages viewed by Opera Mini users from their mobile phones are from Facebook.com. Social networking’s popularity is followed by search using Google.com and cricket updates from Espncricinfo.com.

Nokia handsets used most
An analysis of the top-100 handsets used by Opera Mini users in Bangladesh shows that Nokia is the clear leader in terms of market share. Nokia is used by 77% of users, followed by Samsung at 6% and Symphony with a 4% market share.

Increasing smartphone users
The number of Opera Mini users on smartphones in Bangladesh increased by 220% in the last year, they account for 20% of Opera Mini users. Android is the 2nd most popular mobile OS after Java.

Smartphone users browse more
Opera Mini users browsing the mobile web from smartphones browse more webpages and consume more data, compared to basic phone users. The average number of webpages viewed by smartphone users is 136% higher than basic-phone users.

Factors such as 3G infrastructure-readiness of mobile operators in the country, availability of affordable smartphones and the curiosity among users to explore the web are bound to strengthen the mobile-internet revolution in Bangladesh,” says Sunil Kamath, Vice President for South Asia, Opera Software.

“Opera Mini works across platforms, sails through fluctuations in network speeds and provides a smart interface for the best browsing experience from mobile devices. We have observed an increase in the usage of mobile internet in the country, and I’m confident that the growth will double up with the introduction of 3G services,” adds Kamath.

Opera Software has partnerships with mobile operators such as Grameenphone and Airtel Bangladesh who actively promote usage of the co-branded version of Opera Mini to their users. Opera has also recently signed partnership with Symphony who will preinstall Opera Mini in all its upcoming Android smartphones.

Opera Mini is available as a free download from m.opera.com.