MUMBAI: Integrated telecommunications company Bharti Airtel has signed a global arrangement with Opera Software to offer a customised and co-branded version of Opera Mini internet browser for Airtel mobile customers across its operations.

This will enable over 253 million Airtel customers across countries including India, South Asia and Africa to use Opera Mini‘s proxy-server-based technology that compresses data by up to 90 per cent and decreases data transfer costs.

Opera Software‘s Opera Mini has over 168 million users has agreements with 13 out of the top 30 operators globally. Used by over 168 million users, Opera Mini is the world‘s most popular web browser on mobile phones. Opera Mini‘s popularity in emerging markets can be credited to its smooth performance on basic/non-smartphones.

Bharti Airtel president - consumer business K Srinivas said, "We are excited to bring a superior browsing platform to Airtel mobile customers across India and South Asia by leveraging Opera Mini‘s tried-and-tested set of solutions. We are confident that this association will be instrumental in helping us deliver a truly customized, enhanced and optimized browsing experience for our data users."

Opera Software CEO Lars Boilesen added, "Our primary drive is to provide the best user experience, no matter what device people use. There are millions of users with basic mobile phones instead of smartphones, and Opera Mini gives even the most basic phone a smartphone-like web experience. Airtel‘s strong presence in emerging markets, combined with Opera Mini‘s technology, will make the mobile web available to millions of new users."