Mobile internet explosion in Sri Lanka says Opera Software’s Mobile Web

Each month, Opera Software conducts a definitive analysis of the key trends affecting the mobile web worldwide. These findings are published as the State of the Mobile Web report. This month, Opera takes a closer look at trends and statistics in Sri Lanka.

Overall, there is strong growth in the number of mobile internet users, with them viewing more and more web pages. In the past year, Opera Mini, one of the most popular mobile browsers, had an increase of 67.8% in users in Sri Lanka.

Facebook is the undisputed #1 site visited from mobile devices. The other most popular sites are Google and YouTube based on on aggregated information obtained from Opera Mini servers. Following is a snapshot of statistics on Sri Lanka

• Unique users increase since July 2011: 67.8%
• Page-view growth since July 2011: 66%
• Pages viewed per user, per month: 570.
• Top 10 sites visited from mobile devices in Sri Lanka: Facebook.com; Google.com; Youtube.com; Wikipedia.org; Blogspot.com; Sinhalalanka.com; Mobile9.com; Wapdam.com; Waptrick.com; Zedge.net.
• Top 10 handsets used to access mobile Internet in Sri Lanka: nokia_5130_xpressmusic; nokia2700c; nokia_2330c; nokia_2690; nokia_2730c; sonyericsson_w200i; nokia_3120c; nokia_6120c; nokia_6300; sonyericsson_k750.

One interesting trend observed is the gradual growth of smartphones as the preferred device for many users in the area. While basic phones are still strong in the region, the share of smartphone owners using Opera Mini or Opera Mobile products has increased. In Sri Lanka, the number of Opera Mini users on smartphones has increased by more than 430% in the past year and smartphone users represent 13% of the total number of Opera Mini users in the country.

“It is quite apparent that the demand for mobile internet in Sri Lanka is on an upward trajectory. This growth can be attributed to 3 factors: launch of affordable handsets, competitive pricing of data plans offered by mobile operators and the availability of a free and fast web browser such as Opera Mini, which works on almost any mobile device,” says Opera SoftwareSales Director for India and SAARC Sunil Kamath.

Opera Mini’s advanced compression technology greatly enhances a user’s web experience, while also reducing the amount of data transferred. Users can save up to 90% on their data costs by using Opera Mini.

As consumers expect more functionality and immediacy from their mobile-browsing experiences, mobile networks have to accommodate more types of content; for example, streaming media and video, entertainment, navigation and gaming, among others. With its small footprint and high level of usability, Opera Mini is also a favourite among mobile networks, as it provides customisation options and a consistent user experience across a broad range of handsets.