Opera [NASDAQ: OPRA], the company behind the eponymous web browser, together with MTN, is providing South Africans with 3GB each of free data per month within Opera browsers to enable internet access for everyone. In July 2022 alone, Opera and MTN delivered in total 17.7 petabyte of free data to 5.9 million users.

The need to communicate and access the internet is fast becoming a basic human right in South Africa, according to the non-profit group Media Monitoring Africa. Data access is now considered nearly equal to utilities like water and electricity - an intrinsic and essential commodity that every home needs.

In fact, it’s becoming such a high priority that the government has suggested giving free basic data to low-income users, similar to the stipends that it currently offers for water and electricity, in a national infrastructure plan published by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).

“We intrinsically agree with this view and believe that high-speed broadband should be readily and easily accessible to all South Africans – especially low-income earners and those on the unemployment line that need it most,” says Sarah Utermark, Director of Brand and Global Partnerships at Opera South Africa.

“Data has become the lifeblood of how we stay connected, transact, work and relax, and we believe 3GB of data per month will be of tremendous help to South Africans who are finding it difficult to manage all of their bills,” she says. The offer is effective immediately with no sign-up required by users.

“MTN Business is proud to partner with Opera in its endeavours to connect more South Africans to the internet, as it aligns strongly with our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. By increasing access to the internet we ensure that our people are active participants in the digital era,” concludes Megan Vercuil, EBU Head of Mobility at MTN South Africa.

MTN customers wanting to make use of this offer only need to have the Opera for Android or Opera Mini browser installed on their phones - or they can simply download one from the appropriate app store. If they are connected to the MTN network anywhere in South Africa, they will be able to browse for free, with 100MB of data allocated per day.

With 3GB of data per month, users are able to use Opera Browser’s unique features to visit news sites, stay on top of social media, check browser-based emails or simply surf the web. The only restriction is on video content and file downloads, which are not covered by the free data and will attract normal data charges.

“We know that this can make a big difference, especially in the lives of low-income earners and students - plus, they can even chat directly from the browser if they are Opera Mini users. A little data can go a very long way if you are among the 34% of people on the unemployment line and actively seeking a job. If all goes well, we hope to bring this free data offer to more local networks, opening up the internet to even more Opera users,” she adds.

Do it all with Opera for Android and Opera Mini

The Opera browser on Android provides smartphone users with an unsurpassed browsing experience and includes a number of built-in features to enhance privacy and improve browsing. For example, users have access to a native ad blocker, a tracker blocker and a free VPN. These are included to reduce online tracking and to provide a cleaner, safer and more private browsing experience for all.

Opera users also receive a built-in QR & Barcode scanner, plus have access to the Opera Crypto Wallet to send, receive and pay with cryptocurrencies. The browser can be synced across devices, which means those working on Opera Browser for desktop can access all their bookmarks, Speed Dial shortcuts and open tabs on their smartphone. With more than a billion downloads on Google Play, the browser is trusted worldwide.

For those looking to save on data, the Opera Mini browser is the way to go. Opera has been developing advanced data-saving technology for years, and has implemented it in the fastest browser in the world for basic phones. Opera Mini offers an Extreme data-saving mode which uses heavy-duty compression to pack pages, images and text down to as little as 10% of their original size, saving both time and data. Opera Mini users can also save pages to view offline or make use of Ad blocking to block advertisements and help sites load faster.

Uniquely, Opera Mini now offers users the ability to chat directly in the browser using Hype. Hype is the first African-inspired chat service built into a mobile browser, allowing users to easily set up an account and chat with other people on Hype using secure end-to-end encryption.

Free browsing for Africa

This is not the first time Opera has offered free browsing.

Since 2020, Opera has partnered with up to 10 leading carriers in South Africa and other Sub-Saharan African countries to bring as many people online as they could. These partnerships have allowed Opera to provide free data every day to those who use Opera Mini as their personal browser on their mobile phones, so they can browse, chat, access news articles, and stay informed about local events.

Every month, more than 1.8 million MTN customers use Opera mobile browsers. Since the free data effort started in August 2021, those using Opera and MTN in South Africa have saved an amazing 360 million MB of data - the equivalent of 30 million rand based on the current data costs of R85.00 per GB.

Together with telco partners, Opera has brought nearly 40 million people online across Sub-Saharan Africa countries. The Opera browsers have a strong foothold in Africa, with similar free data offers to Opera users available on 98% of Nigeria’s cellular networks (Airtel, Globacom and MTN), and close to 100% of Kenya’s networks (Airtel, Safaricom). Opera has found that with the availability of free data, users spend more time online and visit more sites.

While previously testing free browsing locally, MTN customers had access to free data through Opera for a limited time. However, the current offer to South African MTN users will be available for the foreseeable future, with Opera in negotiations with other network providers to expand availability.