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Opera Software plans to debut Opera Turbo, its new, “turbo-charged” way to surf the Internet, at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona held Feb. 16 to 19.
Opera Turbo will be available for business customers, and will work with Opera Desktop, Opera Mobile and the Opera Devices SDK (software development kit). The technology works by compressing bandwidth consumption. Opera said in a news release, “By processing data being sent to a mobile phone or a PC by up to 80 percent, operators will be able to reduce network traffic and save on data transmissions. This helps to extend the longevity of their mobile network investments.”
According to Opera, on laptops, Opera Turbo compresses traffic by 71 percent, while on a mobile phone the average compression rate is 80 percent. This high level of data compression ensures the scalability of network resources, enabling more users to receive a high-quality browsing experience, the company said.
“For device manufacturers, Opera Turbo provides a faster browsing application that can leverage device capabilities and utilize hardware resources more effectively. By leveraging Opera Turbo, operators and OEMs can provide a faster browsing experience to their end users, independent of network constraints or hardware limitations,” the company said in the release.
For consumers who use time-limited or data-transmission-based payment plans, Opera Turbo will provide better browsing at a lower cost, Opera officials said, adding that in areas where network infrastructure is not well developed, Opera Turbo will enable a larger number of users to utilize the same network resources.
The company also said in the release:
“Due to Opera Turbo’s advanced compression technology, even devices with limited hardware capabilities show improved page download rates and better overall performance.By leveraging its experience with server-side optimization solutions such as Opera Mini, Opera Software is extending optimization to encompass other Opera browser products. Moreover, Opera Turbo is able to reduce the size of the transferred page without transcoding the page. Opera Turbo offers full support for dynamic Web technologies such as AJAX and Flash.Opera Turbo supports Opera’s belief in “One Web,” providing equal access to the Internet regardless of the device or network quality.“
Indeed, Opera Turbo provides a consistent Internet experience across a variety of products, the company said.
“We are living in a time and place where access to the Web should be a universal right to all. Technology has advanced us to the point that we can very nearly access the Internet anytime and anywhere from a growing number of devices,” Jon von Tetzchner, CEO of Opera Software, said in a statement. “As part of Opera’s commitment to provide the best experience on any device, Opera has developed the Opera Turbo solution. The Mobile World Congress serves as a forum for us to educate others on the wonders of Web technology.”