Cape Town, South Africa – November 9, 2011
Rwandan MTN subscribers will now have access to the Opera Mini browser, which gives them faster and cheaper access to the Web through their mobile devices, as well as quick access to their favorite sites and MTN portals.
MTN subscribers will have one-click access, through Opera Mini, to MTN CallerTunez, MTN Play, The NewTimes, Igihe, Facebook, Yahoo! and Mobile Store.
MTN Rwanda has close to three million subscribers, and its network coverage extends to over 98% of the population. Rwanda has embraced the Internet and is also a key partner in the One Laptop per Child project and has a major e-government program.
While mainstream Internet access is still a way off, 40% of Rwandans have mobile phones, as opposed to less than one percent with fixed-line Internet access. This means the bulk of the country goes online through a mobile device – usually a feature phone. Some of the most visited mobile sites in Rwanda include Facebook, Google, Yahoo!, Igihe, YouTube, Wikipedia, BBC, Inyarwanda, NewTimes and Umuseke.
Khaled Mikkawi, CEO MTN Rwanda described Opera Mini as “a great tool that will further emphasize the dedication of MTN to facilitate the ease and growth of data usage in Rwanda and a strong affirmation of MTN’s commitment to be at the heart of the ICT revolution in Rwanda”.
Opera Mini compresses the Web by up to 90%, providing faster delivery of webpages faster and at a lower cost, to more than 3000 different types of mobile devices on the market.
“We are excited to see MTN Rwanda customers join the Web using Opera Mini,” says Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software. “Clearly it is a nation that is committed to growing everyone’s access to the Web, and MTN is an integral part of that. Our global agreement with MTN is one that allows us to really deliver on our belief that the Internet is a basic human right.”
About MTN Rwanda
MTN is a global communications company and world-class cellular network. As a major communications company, MTN is specifically focused on the Africa and the Middle East. We believe that through access to communication comes economic empowerment. Being in operation since 1998, MTN Rwanda continues to expand its network, offer new and innovative packages and services, and keep up with the latest trends in communications while maintaining affordability. MTN Rwanda has over 2.8 million subscribers and its network coverage extends to over 98% of the population.