Opera Mini usage on phones surges in emerging markets
The Opera Mini web browser is apparently incredibly popular in developing countries and emerging markets, signalling significant opportunities for mobile hardware and software firms.

Some 66.5 million people are now using the Opera Mini web browser, many of them in emerging markets and the developing world, according to a new report from the software's Norwegian developers.
The Opera Mini mobile phone browser uses server-side compression to speed up web page rendering and download times. It's therefore no surprise to see that the company's State of the Mobile Web report claims the browser is most popular in emerging markets and developing countries where mobile data networks may be comparatively slow and expensive compared to those in developed countries. This gives users on those networks extra incentive to speed up web page rendering.
The report also highlights the extremely rapid growth of Opera Mini usage in Qatar and Iraq 1,735.4 per cent and 1,931.8 per cent respectively. Opera Mini users in most of the Middle East also strongly prefer Nokia phones, although this trend is reversed in Israel where the iPhone is more popular.
According to the report, the top 20 countries with the highest rates of Opera Mini usage are:
Indonesia
Russia
India
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
China
Ukraine
South Africa
The US
Vietnam
The UK
Kenya
Kazakhstan
Poland
Nigeria
Malaysia
Belarus
The Philippines
Egypt
Germany
Brazil
Bangladesh
-
Cleo attack victim list grows as Hertz confirms customer data stolen
News Hertz has confirmed it suffered a data breach as a result of the Cleo zero-day vulnerability in late 2024, with the car rental giant warning that customer data was stolen.
By Ross Kelly
-
Lateral moves in tech: Why leaders should support employee mobility
In-depth Encouraging staff to switch roles can have long-term benefits for skills in the tech sector
By Keri Allan
-
Nokia hails success of Europe’s first commercial 5G cloud RAN deployment
News Elise says its 5G cloud network puts it in a strong position during a move towards 6G
By Emma Woollacott
-
Kyndryl and Nokia extend partnership to drive data center networking gains
News The companies plan to offer more data center networking options aimed at enterprise customers
By Emma Woollacott
-
Dell and Nokia expand strategic partnership to drive network cloud transformation
News The companies will leverage each other’s expertise and distribution to scale telecom networks and private 5G use cases
By Daniel Todd
-
Nokia and Google score breakthrough in Android 13 network slicing
News Nokia's solution will allow devices to connect to multiple network slices simultaneously, provided by existing 4G and 5G operators
By Rory Bathgate
-
Nokia wins Indosat contract to expand 5G across Indonesia
News The deal will bring next-gen communication technology to customers across a 1.4 million square kilometre area
By Praharsha Anand
-
Nokia and Ligado partner on 4G, 5G enterprise private network
News Nokia will leverage Ligado’s Band 24 spectrum to reach the US enterprise market
By Praharsha Anand
-
The IT Pro Products of the Year 2021: The year’s best hardware and software
Best Our pick of the best products from the past 12 months
By IT Pro
-
Nokia T20 review: A simple, sturdy Android tablet at an SMB-friendly price
Reviews It’s not as luxurious as an iPad, but the T20 makes a fine, functional tablet for business
By Darien Graham-Smith