Over 80% of mobile users in Africa do not use data which is a huge challenge in bringing mass populations online in Africa.  Jo Crawshaw from Opera Software tells Appsafrica.com how data compression products such as Opera Mini and Opera Web Pass are helping “over 60 million users” to use data more affordability.

Affordability is holding back internet penetration in Africa  as the cost of data creates one of  the biggest barriers. On average, Opera is saving these users 90% on data spending compared to other browsers, “which is a really important feature in cost sensitive markets” explains Crawshaw.

Education is also critical  and Opera have created  a new service called the Web Pass, which is a new time based product. It sells data in a different way so it makes it more tangible for the consumer, for example buying an hour of facebook, or a week of internet which gives the customer greater control over what they spend.

Opera Software, has also recently launched the new Opera Max which compresses all data sent through Android smartphones with world leading image and video compression technology, so users can get the most from their data plans.

The Opera Max service was originally launched in Africa with Samsung, the app has seen huge popularity, with Nigeria being home to the most Maxers globally to date. Now launching in 135 countries around the world, it is available free for all Android users via Google Play.

The new launch of the product also sees Wi-Fi management included. Users experiencing Wi-Fi network congestion will enjoy a faster connection experience with this new compression feature, as they can see how apps are using their data and track how their apps behave on Wi-Fi.