Brazil sings the Opera Mini tune

Opera Mini, the world’s most popular mobile browser, is now available on more than 60 mobile phone models in Brazil through a partnership with TIM — one of Brazil’s leading carriers. Dubbed as “Navegador TIM,” the co-branded application will be available either as a free download or will be preinstalled on phones used by TIM subscribers.

As part of the Infinity Web promotion, TIM is now offering prepaid subscribers unlimited Internet access on their phones for browsing through the co-branded “Navegador TIM” browser for just R$0.50 a day. For postpaid subscribers, TIM will offer the Liberty Web promotion, a free subscription to unlimited data for six months when a customer buys a handset equipped for mobile Internet, followed by a nominal charge of R$28 a month. This wide distribution of Opera Mini browsers is part of TIM’s big push in Brazil to get its subscribers to access the mobile Web on their phones as opposed to cybercafes — a popular way for Brazilians to access the Internet.

“We are very happy that TIM has chosen Opera Mini to be part of this large rollout of its mobile Internet strategy,” said Roy Satterthwaite, Senior VP, Americas, Opera Software. “Opera Mini’s unique features coupled with TIM’s competitive pricing will allow Brazilians to have the power of the Internet at their fingertips while on the move — at rates much lower than cybercafes.”

Opera Mini is the closest experience to desktop surfing on the mobile phone, used by more than 60 million people the world over. The latest version, Opera Mini 5, offers innovative features such as Speed Dial, bookmarks, tabbed browsing and password manager. Apart from its user- friendly features, Opera Mini also gives users a fast browsing experience through its compression technology, which shrinks webpages by up to 90 percent before they are delivered on the mobile device.

To install Opera Mini, subscribers need to visit the TIM mobile portal at m.tim.com.br and download “Navegador TIM”, which is one of the featured apps. The data plans from TIM will also work on the public and co-branded Opera Mini versions that are available for download from www.opera.com.

“One third of Brazilians access the Internet from cybercafes. We want to change that and give the power of the mobile Internet to our users through Opera Mini,” said Rogerio Takayanagi, Marketing Director, TIM. “Our pricing is the best in the market and so are the applications we offer our subscribers, including Opera Mini.”

Opera’s association with TIM is not new. In 2009, TIM sold two devices that came with the preinstalled version of Opera Mini. In August 2010, Opera Mini users in Brazil increased by 278% compared to the same period in 2009. Also during July 2010, Opera Mini page views in Brazil increased 350% compared to the same period the previous year.
About TIM

Eleven years ago in Brazil, TIM became the first mobile operator to be present in all the country’s states. With a consumer-focused approach and seeking to meet market demands as effectively as possible, the company saw its client base leap from 36.1 million to 41.5 million between March 2009 and January 2010, representing a growth of over 14% and which can be attributed to its brand repositioning strategy. Its improved performance is a reflection of the concern with the user and launch of innovative and customized products and services, such as the Infinity and Liberty plans.

In December 2009, TIM acquired 100% of Intelig, including its own infrastructure with an extensive transportation network (backbone of 14,500 kilometers) and metropolitan networks in 15 capitals. Among other benefits, this infrastructure will allow TIM to accelerate the expansion of its 3G network, reduce operating costs such as with the rental of circuits and enter new voice and data markets, both residential as well as corporate.

TIM also invests in its commitment to society: included in the BM&FBOVESPA Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) portfolio, the company maintains collection and forwarding actions for the recycling of devices, batteries and accessories, and also sells devices with a low environmental impact, among other initiatives. For more information, access www.tim.com.br or http://twitter.com/timtimportimtim.