Opera Software unveiled what it called a “WAP killer” last week, going global with its Web browser for Java-enabled mobile phones.
Opera Mini uses a proxy server to format traditional Internet content for small screens-thereby bypassing the need for WAP technology and allowing users to access nearly any Web site. The application can be downloaded free from Opera’s Web site to a PC or handset; the company charges $3 for a download triggered by a text message to a short code.
The global launch follows trials in several European countries late last year that netted more than 1 million users, the Norway-based developer said.
“We’ve never believed in WAP,” explained Opera spokesman Eskil Sivertsen. “I think it will take some time, probably, before people start realizing that WAP is basically just a walled garden with limited content you can give your subscribers, when they could have the full Internet at their fingertips.”
The software development company was created by Norwegian telecommunications provider Telenor in 1994 before launching as Opera Software ASA last year. Opera also offers Web-browsing software for PCs and smart phones, and it said a BREW-supported version of Opera Mini is in development.
But while Opera Mini delivers an impressive user experience-compressing Web pages by as much as 80 percent-the company is facing formidable opposition in the race to become the gateway of choice to the mobile Internet. Google Inc. recently launched a personalized home page for wireless Web surfers, while Yahoo Inc. is working with carriers to secure prime deck placement for its portal.
InfoSpace Inc. has teamed with Cingular Wireless L.L.C. on a customized user interface that automatically sends updated news, sports scores and other information to mobile phones. The service, dubbed MEdia Net, also uses InfoSpace’s search technology to deliver localized information via WAP.
“It does perform admirably for the devices it’s meant to run on,” said David Linsalata, a research analyst with consultant firm IDC. “I think it’s a great step toward moving users off WAP and onto the (wireless) Web, in some regard.”
Despite the menacing nickname, even Opera concedes the offering isn’t going to threaten WAP anytime soon. Mass-market wireless users-the type most likely to have a Java-enabled device-may never be exposed to Opera Mini, which will surely suffer from a lack of presence on carrier decks. And the wireless industry won’t rush to embrace a new technology after spending years developing and promoting WAP technology.
“What we see as a challenge today is that a lot of people have invested millions into WAP,” Sivertsen said, but consumer uptake continues to lag. “It’s ridiculous, but a lot of people out there are still trying to protect their investment.”
Opera Mini’s start page features a Google search box, and Opera draws a fee from the search giant based on traffic through the browser. But while the relationship “is not a huge moneymaking deal at this point,” Sivertsen said, the company is more concerned with building users than generating revenues.
Opera is considering a number of different revenue models, from flat-rate subscription services, to one-time SMS fees to a combination of premium and advertising-supported offerings. The company hopes to work with carriers and content providers to introduce a variety of products and services based on content and geographic market.
First, though, it will need to team with a well-heeled partner to attract consumer eyeballs, Linsalata said.
“The real crux is whether they can get an OEM or a content provider-someone to endorse and distribute (Opera Mini),” Linsalata claimed. “Especially in the U.S., they really have to raise their brand awareness, make sure people understand who they are.”
Opera has at least one other major hurdle in carriers that want to control the mobile Web experience for their users. Nearly every carrier allows subscribers to move off-deck by typing in specific URLs during a WAP session, but because users almost always navigate through the deck, operators can generally keep them in a controlled environment. Opera’s new product threatens that model, replicating a desktop experience where users can go nearly anywhere on the Internet-even places they might not want to go.
So while the company’s developers appear to have found an innovative way for wireless users to surf the entire Internet with a mobile phone, whether Opera has a hit on its hands with its new mobile browser is far from certain.
“I keep thinking of Beta vs. VHS,” said Linsalata. “It’s not always the best technology that wins.”
