Companies Form Strategic Partnership to Bring Yahoo! Search to Millions of Consumers Using Opera Browsers for Mobile Phones
OSLO, Norway & LAS VEGAS, Jan 08, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Opera Software (OSE:OPERA) and Yahoo! (Nasdaq:YHOO) today announced a new strategic partnership for which Opera has named Yahoo! as the exclusive provider of mobile search on its millions of Web browsers for mobile phones, Opera Mini(TM) and Opera Mobile(TM), across more than 100 countries worldwide. Opera will launch the new Yahoo! oneSearch(TM) when it goes live globally later in Q1 2007.
Yahoo! oneSearch(TM) is a completely new mobile search service designed to give consumers what they want when they are on their mobile phone -- instant answers. The service recognizes the intent of a search term and presents relevant content -- not just a list of Web links to PC sites -- on the results page. Results are grouped by subject making it easy to read through and drill down to get more details.
This new relationship showcases Yahoo!'s successful focus on building and monetizing innovative mobile services and working with key partners to distribute them broadly to consumers. Yahoo! and Opera have agreed to exclusively work together to explore bringing mobile advertising into the Opera Mobile browser.
"We are happy to announce this strategic cooperation with Yahoo! on mobile search," says Jon S. von Tetzchner, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Opera Software. "Opera has shipped more than 50 million mobile browsers and our experience is that search is one of the most important services to be included in a mobile browser. Therefore it has been important for us to find a partner that will work closely with Opera to optimize the user experience."
Opera will deliver Yahoo! Search through its distribution channels for Opera Mini, including direct free-to-consumer downloads and through partnerships with content providers, device manufacturers and mobile operators. Opera and Yahoo! will also jointly market the availability of Yahoo! Search on Opera Mobile to help drive consumer awareness and usage.
"The powerful and popular Opera Mobile browser is a perfect match for Yahoo!'s innovative mobile Internet services," said Marco Boerries, senior vice president of connected life, Yahoo!. "This new partnership will give the millions of Opera Mobile and Opera Mini customers around the world the ability to easily use Yahoo! oneSearch to find the information they need."
Opera Mini (http://www.operamini.com) is a freely available Web browser that enables full Internet access on the majority of mobile phones in the market. Opera Mini launched in January 2006 and has since gained more than eight million users. Opera Mobile is Opera Software's standards-compliant Web browser for advanced mobile phones. The browser uses Opera's Small Screen Rendering technology to reformat Web pages for viewing on a small screen and allows users to navigate Web pages with intuitive vertical scrolling.
Yahoo!'s mobile services are available on mobile devices from major manufacturers and operators in more than 40 countries around the world. Yahoo! first launched mobile extensions of the company's leading Internet services in 1999 and today, through more than 80 partnerships with mobile operators and device manufacturers worldwide. Yahoo! has a variety of mobile services for consumers including Yahoo! Go for Mobile 2.0 an innovative new application that redefines the mobile Internet experience for consumers through a unique product design, ability to personalize with content from the entire Internet and a reinvention of mobile search. Yahoo!'s Mobile Web service gives consumers quick access to their favorite Yahoo! services including Yahoo! Search, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Sports and more.
About Opera Software ASA
Opera Software ASA has redefined Web browsing for PCs, mobile phones and other networked devices. Opera's cross-platform Web browser technology is renowned for its small size, performance and standards-compliance, while giving users a faster, safer and more dynamic online experience. Opera Software is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices around the world. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com.
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo!'s mission is to connect people to their passions, their communities, and the world's knowledge. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
