OPERATURBO 1 Opera Turbo Whitepaper WHITE PAPER
Executive summary As demand grows for Internet connectivity on more devices, operators and OEMs face different but complementary issues in terms of ensuring the most cost-effective and efficient services and products, while maintaining a sustainable, strategic offering for consumers. Meeting the need for stability, performance and speed demanded by the marketplace will grow increasingly difficult if network load is overtaxed, operating costs are high or if customers grow unhappy with the products and services they receive. Operators and OEMs can deliver solutions to these challenges by forging partnerships with solution providers to keep themselves competitive. To meet the challenges that exist across product and service segments, has developed the Opera Turbo solution. Opera Turbo provides unique data compression benefits to operators, OEMs and consumers, compressing traffic by up to 80%. Bandwidth optimization will enable sustainability and scalability of networks in order to meet traffic demands, and ultimately ensure a high quality browsing experience. 2 Opera Turbo Whitepaper
Opera Turbo Growth in Internet use is both an advantage and a challenge for market players associated most closely with Internet access: mobile operators, OEMs of Internet-enabled devices and software companies providing solutions. As the demand for mobility and on-the-go connectivity rises, solutions for wireless, mobile-internet browsing become more important. Likewise, as more devices become Web enabled, there is more competition for bandwidth. The staggering demand for access creates numerous opportunities for operators and OEMs (and drives the innovation that keeps consumers satisfied), but fully realizing the opportunities requires innovative solutions. Meeting the need for stability, performance and speed demanded by the marketplace will grow increasingly difficult if network load is overtaxed, operating costs are high or if customers grow unhappy with the services they receive. The last point is particularly important because consumers have high expectations for speed and service quality, regardless of what network or device is being used for Internet access. Operators and OEMs face different but complementary issues in terms of ensuring the most cost-effective and efficient services and products, while maintaining a sustainable, strategic offering for consumers. Market analysis The market for wireless Internet access via laptop computer (either by internal or USB modem) is expected to increase dramatically. In addition, consumers are increasingly adopting laptop computers instead of desktop PCs for use in their homes. Coupled with this shift, the demand for mobile broadband and USB modems to provide this connectivity soars. Cellular Wireless Modem Shipments by Device Type Figure 1, Cellular wireless modem shipment by device type, 2007-2013 (ABI Research) In the mobile sector, smartphone use will drive consumer expectations higher, as users become accustomed to experiencing the full Internet in the same way, and at the same speed, as on their desktop PCs. Contributing to this demand, any handset with support for full HTML browsing will increase consumer expectations for all Internet connectivity on the go. As a whole, mobile devices will represent a higher load on the operator networks as more devices become connected. Global smartphone handset unit volumes Figure 2, Global smartphone handset sales by volume, 2001-2012 (Yankee Group) 3 Opera Turbo Whitepaper Opera Turbo Whitepaper 3
Global Handset Sell-Through Forecast: Full Browser Support Figure 3, Handset sell-through forecast for HTML-capable phones, 2004-2012 (Yankee Group) In the devices sector, varied hardware configurations and Internet connectivity are key items that represent a strategic challenge: how to provide a great browsing experience while leveraging available hardware resources. Growth projections indicate that a wide variety of devices will be connected to the Internet, ensuring a great browsing experience that makes the most of limited device hardware on all manner of platforms is a key focus for operators and OEMs alike. Projected device shipments Figure 4, Projected shipments of devices, 2008-2012 (Dell Oro, Global Industry Analysts, Juniper Research, Strategy Analytics) The challenge Both operators and OEMs are under pressure to deliver better services and performance while maintaining control of their own costs and keeping costs low for consumers. For operators, the rapidly increasing demand for connectivity drives deep concern about network congestion. How can operators meet customer expectations, while controlling costs and providing a sustainable, scalable network? How can they extend the lifespan of network capital investments? For OEMs, the demand for Internet browsing on any device means that their hardware solutions will have to be robust enough to handle the surfing experience users will expect the same kind of speedy and stable browsing experience they enjoy on their PCs. Speed and stability are basic user demands, but they represent the biggest challenge for OEMs. 4 Opera Turbo Whitepaper Opera Turbo Whitepaper 4
The competitive offer At the core of the challenge, across product and service segments, consumers want to browse the Internet and want this experience to be fast, seamless and affordable. A consumer does not want to be concerned with network load, device hardware limitations or how these factor into the proposition. Usability and affordability are keys to customer satisfaction. Operators and OEMs can deliver solutions to these pressing issues by forging partnerships within the industry that will keep them competitive. Vision As part of its commitment to the vision the best Internet experience on any device, has developed the Opera Turbo solution. Opera Turbo provides operators, OEMs and consumers with a full and fast Internet experience, independent of network constraints or hardware limitations. For operators, Opera Turbo provides the benefit of compressing network traffic by up to 80%, which reduces network load and increases browsing speed. The Opera Turbo solution offers an improved user experience and enables a sustainable solution for operator Web strategies. For OEMs, Opera Turbo provides a faster browsing application that can leverage device capabilities with the growing demand for highspeed Internet access. In addition to increasing browsing speed, Opera Turbo allows OEMs to utilize hardware resources more effectively, thus allowing more platforms to become connected. For consumers, Opera Turbo offers a faster browsing experience, independent of network connection speeds. In addition, Opera s compression technology ensures that less data is downloaded to the device, providing data savings. The solution One of the key challenges for enabling mobile access to the Internet is bandwidth optimization. Data compression will enable sustainability and scalability of networks in order to meet traffic demands and ultimately ensure a high quality browsing experience. The Opera Turbo solution was designed to manage these challenges, compressing network traffic by up to 80%. On laptops, Opera Turbo compresses traffic by 71% (figure 5), while, on a mobile phone, the average compression rate is 80% (figure 6). This high level of data compression ensures the scalability of network resources, enabling more users to receive a high quality browsing experience. Opera Turbo on Laptops Figure 5, Opera Turbo data compression on Opera Browser (Opera benchmark) 5 Opera Turbo Whitepaper Opera Turbo Whitepaper 5
Opera Turbo on Opera Mobile Figure 6, Opera Turbo data compression on Opera Mobile (Opera benchmark) Benefits Mobile network operators Facing increased demand for connectivity, growing competition and churn, operators are aiming to control CAPEX and OPEX, while providing a service that is of a high quality. Mobility is expanding, and consumers will expect to have wireless Internet access on a wider variety of devices, including laptops, mobile phones, gaming consoles, and more. Price pressure is also playing a key role in market development, as consumers seek to have fast browsing at a reasonable and predictable cost. Flatrate pricing is being widely adopted, making cost control a key criterion for profitability. By providing compression of data traffic, Opera Turbo gives operators the necessary tools to control costs and utilize network resources more efficiently. Furthermore, by leveraging Opera s server infrastructure, operators can gain insights into consumer behavior by analyzing reports on browsing patterns. By offering an improved Internet experience with Opera Turbo, operators are well positioned to meet the demands of the market and benefit from Opera s extensive experience in the Internet industry. Opera Turbo allows operators to: Reduce network traffic and save on data transmissions Improve the Internet experience by increasing Web page download speeds and performance Extend the longevity of mobile network investments Stay ahead of the competition by deploying quickly Increase user satisfaction and retention Control or restrict certain content Gain insights into consumer behavior Data savings with Opera Turbo 6 Opera Turbo Whitepaper Figure 7, Opera Turbo data savings and traffic optimization (Based on average compression rate)
OEMs Unique challenges are posed by the increasing connectivity of devices, creating the need for browsers on more platforms, with both low- and high-end hardware configurations. Additionally, speed of deployment is also a cost- and time-sensitive issue for OEMs. Consumers voices are heard, as they expect the browser on all devices to provide rapid download speeds without being hampered by instability or subpar browser quality. Consumers Consumers will demand more from their browsing experiences and will expect to have Internet access on many devices. The patterns of mobility are changing, and consumer behavior will reflect more connectivity in more places. For consumers who use time-limited or data-transmission-based payment plans, Opera Turbo will provide better browsing at a lower cost. In areas where network infrastructure is not well developed, Opera Turbo will enable a larger number of users to utilize the same network resources. Opera Turbo allows OEMs to: Improve the Internet experience by increasing Web-page download speeds and performance Maximize hardware capabilities by processing server-side Achieve and maintain time to market Enhance usability/user satisfaction Deploy across platforms and chipsets and with both low- and high-end hard ware Enable a full browsing experience on low-end hardware by reducing memory and CPU usage How Opera Turbo works Opera Turbo uses advanced compression technology to speed up data transfer and to reduce the amount of data that needs to be downloaded in order to view the page. The solution is designed with several different types of devices in mind and is compatible with Opera Browser, Opera Mobile and Opera Devices SDK. By leveraging its experience with server-side optimization solutions such as Opera Mini, is extending optimization to encompass other Opera browser products. In addition to offering several optimization modes, Opera Turbo features a mechanism to bypass the optimization server and make a direct connection to the Internet. With Opera Turbo consumers enjoy: Improved Internet experience with browser speed and performance Greater affordability and cost predictability Optimized browsing experiences on low-end device hardware A consistent Internet experience across a variety of products Figure 8, Opera Turbo diagram 7 Opera Turbo Whitepaper
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