Opera celebrates 15 years of connecting Africa to the Internet

As part of activities marking its 15 years in Africa which culminated in helping 150 million mobile users in the continent have fast access and affordable internet, Opera is giving away 150 GB of data to 150 people, totalling 22.5 terabytes of data through a competition across South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria celebrating digital connectivity.

Alongside its continued provision of low-data options for internet access, Opera will develop and rollout impact initiatives throughout 2022, to raise awareness of data inequity and champion the opportunities that connectivity will bring

This week Opera celebrates 15th year of accelerating digital adoption in Africa. With over 150 million monthly active users across the continent, the company is providing better connectivity through the data-light Opera Mini web-browser. Yet, 800 million Africans still don’t use the internet, and 1 GB of data costs up to 16% of the average monthly income in some parts of the continent.
To celebrate their 15th anniversary, Opera is launching a data giveaway and is asking its users to share experiences of how Opera Mini has helped them to reach new levels of connection. Over 50% of consumers have used free data sponsored by Opera and in 2021, users spent 2.5 billion hours using Opera Mini.
Whether setting up a business, speaking with loved ones or embarking on an educational journey, Opera will award the most memorable 150 entries with 150 GB of free data – that’s over 8,000 free hours of browsing, over 200 hours of streaming your favorite videos and over 1,500 free hours of streaming your favorite tunes.
The competition opens on 15th December and closes 15th January, 2022.To enter, simply like and comment Opera’s post on Facebook or Instagram, using #CelebrateWithOpera and explain why Opera is important to you. The terms and conditions for participation are available here.
In Nigeria alone:
87% are familiar with Opera Mini and 9 in 10 (89%) say it is easy to use
So far in 2021, Opera Mini has been downloaded 20 million times from Google Play, showing over 20% growth YoY in the country.
In 2021, Opera offered Nigerians over 10 million GB of free data, together with leading telecom partners to accelerate Nigeria’s digital revolution.
In the same year, Nigerian users saved over N4,915 million thanks to free data campaigns and data saving browser Opera Mini, allowing them to surf their favorite sites: Facebook, FlashScore and Google, and experience moments of connection faster, for longer.
Today, millions across Africa use the Opera Mini browser, citing lower costs, faster connection and ease of use. Opera’s long-term local infrastructural investment enables up to 90% data savings for users. In 2018, using Opera products equated to savings of up to $100million USD, across the top 20 African countries.
It’s on record that Opera has been partnering with leading telecom providers across the continent to offer free Internet access via Opera Mini. As part of Opera’s commitment to help people get online, it is sponsoring up to 3 GB of monthly data via Opera Mini for our millions of users.
The data giveaway comes as the Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare deep-seated regional inequalities in internet access. Currently, only 39% of Africa has internet access, compared with 60% globally. High data costs are a primary constraint. The price of mobile data in Sub-Saharan Africa is the most expensive in the world, with an average cost of $6.44 per 1 GB of mobile data. This is in stark contrast to Western Europe, where the same amount of mobile data is a third of the cost ($2.47).
For some African families, data takes up a significant share of household income, with 1 GB costing up to 16% of a monthly salary.
Jørgen Arnesen, EVP Mobile at Opera said: “At Opera, we know the power that connection can bring. From sharing ideas, art and culture to kick-starting businesses or bringing loved ones closer. Data is essential to connecting people. Our mobile browser Opera Mini uses only one-tenth of the data that others do, and we’re proud to continue helping millions of people overcome connectivity barriers with our solutions.” he said.