Oslo, Norway and Vienna, Austria – October 31, 2006
Opera Software today announced that mobilkom austria, the leading Austrian mobile operator, isthe world’s first to offer its customers the unique opportunity to surfthe Web from their mobile phones free of charge during the month ofNovember 2006. Users can simply download the Opera Miniâ„¢ mobile browseronto their mobile phones and start surfing the Web. As a result of theagreement between Opera Software and mobilkom austria, A1 and B-FREE pre-and post-paid customers with Java-capable mobile phones can browse alltheir favorite Internet sites directly on their phones.
The Opera Mini browser, made by Opera Software, has been lauded worldwidefor its ability to deliver the Internet in a user-friendly andcost-effective way to mobile phones. By offering one month of free surfing(no data traffic costs incurred), mobilkom austria wants to demonstratethe power and convenience of Opera Mini to its user base.
“The leading mobile operator in Austria, mobilkom austria, breaks newground in making the mobile Web a reality for everyone. By giving itscustomers the opportunity to download Opera Mini and surf for 30 days freeof charge, even the biggest skeptics may open their eyes to the benefitsof mobile Web browsing: Surfing on the mobile screen is fast, useful andeasy,” said Roger Carlhammar, executive vice president, Opera Software.”We are excited about this first step with our preferred partner mobilkom austria,the company behind the A1 brand. In the future, we will work together tofurther enhance the mobile experience.”
Using Opera’s unique Small-Screen Rendering (SSR) technology, Opera Minireformats regular Web pages to fit the width of mobile screens. Byprocessing Web pages through a server, the data that is sent to the mobilephone is compressed by as much as 80 percent. For the end-user, this meansfaster browsing and dramatically reduced phone bills for those who pay perKB in data traffic.
How to download:
A1 and B-Free customers in Austria can download Opera Mini by sending anSMS with the keyword “opera” to 0664 660 60 60. Follow the instructions inthe SMS. There is no need to use a PC to download Opera Mini.
Free trial period:
The free trial period lasts from November 1 – November 30, 2006. Duringthis period, A1 customers can surf all their favorite Web pages for freeusing Opera Mini.
About mobilkom austria:
With 3.4 million customers and a market share of 39.1%, mobilkom austriais Austria’s leading mobile operator. The company, headquartered inVienna, has generated revenues of EUR 1,719.1 million in the 2005 businessyear. The company is wholly owned by Telekom Austria, which is listed onthe Vienna and New York stock exchanges. mobilkom austria’s innovationleadership is marked by the worldwide first GPRS Launch in August 2000 andone of Europe`s first commercial UMTS network launched in Austria in April2003. With the mobilkom austria group, the success of mobilkom austriaextends beyond Austria’s borders. The mobilkom austria group includesmobilkom austria, Vipnet in Croatia, Si.mobil in Slovenia, Mobiltel inBulgaria and mobilkom liechtenstein.