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September 20, 2005
Opera browser now free without ads
Opera Software has withdrawn advertising banners from the free version of its Opera browser software. The ad-free, full-featured version is available for download at www.opera.com
The free-browser was previously only available with an advertising banner. Users could have this removed for the payment of a licensing free, which also gave them premium support. Between one to three per cent of users purchased this licence, providing a revenue stream for Opera’s PC business. Other revenue streams, of approximately equal value were provided from search engines and the sale of ads. Opera will continue to sell premium support at the reduced rate of €24 per year.
Jon S. von Tetzchner, chief exec of Opera Software, said: "Removing the ad banner and licensing fee will encourage many new users to discover the speed, security and unmatched usability of the Opera browser".
Opera expects the move to significantly increase its market share, thereby pulling in more revenues from search engines. This is expected to more than offset loss of income from licensing over the long term. Opera's PC software business produces roughly half the income of its devices (set-top box and mobile) operation.
Opera's browser provides additional features to those available on IE or Firefox. It lets users start from where their last browsing session ended or to save their entire session. It also includes security features to protect against phishing attacks.
Posted by at September 20, 2005 07:06 PM
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