Opera Software has signed a three-year extension of its global frame agreement with Vodafone. The existing agreement enables Vodafone to offer its customers Opera products such as a Vodafone-branded Opera Mini browser, a product that Opera says is at the core of Vodafone’s internet strategy for feature phones, particularly in emerging markets.

The customized Opera Mini was browser introduced in 2009 across a wide variety of Vodafone markets globally, and according to Opera, has met with great success. The number of active users of the Opera Mini browser is up 300 per cent year-on-year, and growing in both emerging markets and the EU.

“In our complex world of advanced technology and a multitude of services, it’s easy to forget that consumers want a simple approach to their mobile device,” says Opera CEO, Lars Boilesen. “Vodafone is one of those companies that truly understands the needs of their consumers and addresses them. The extension of the partnership between Vodafone and Opera Software is a testament to the close relationship between the two companies, a relationship that has refined the concept of the mobile browser.”