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Opera Web Pass
MOBILINK CASE STUDY
With more than 38 million mobile subscribers, Mobilink is Pakistan’s leading telecom provider. In 2011,
Mobilink joined forces with Opera Software to help bring the best mobile browsing experience to its
customers through Opera Mini.
In February 2014, Mobilink launched the Mobilink Web Pass to encourage more users to browse
the web from their mobile phones, and provided these users with new, easy-to-understand and
affordable mobile internet packages.
Opera Software and Mobilink: Opening up the
mobile internet in Pakistan
In December 2011 Mobilink teamed up with Opera Software and
launched a co-branded version of Opera Mini. By the end of 2012,
Mobilink’s co-branded Opera Mini users had quadrupled.
With a population of over 1) 190 million in which 2) 70% of people are
under the age of 30, the number of people accessing the internet,
whether from a PC or mobile, is extremely low. Pakistan’s internet
penetration rate of 1)10% is one of the lowest in the Asia-Pacific
region, as well as worldwide.
There are numerous factors contributing to this relatively low
internet uptake: Limited broadband infrastructure; slow 2G
mobile networks, which discourage active mobile web usage;
low smartphone penetration (a mere 3) 10%); and compounding
all of this, a lack of proper education about the internet and its
possibilities – particularly in rural areas where 1) 64% of the population lives.
By offering a co-branded version of Opera Mini, with its longtime
success compressing data and making the internet affordable
to all, Mobilink successfully overcame many of these barriers.
1)
we are social 2) pta.gov.pk 3) propakistani.pk
Opera Mini and Mobilink were able to compress web pages down
to as little as 10% of their original size, giving users—most of whom
were on lower-end feature phones—a faster and eye-opening
mobile browsing experience at an affordable price. The news
spread fast, and by the end of 2013, Mobilink’s Opera Mini
co-branded users represented 26.4% of the total mobile internet
user base.
In March 2014, Mobilink launched Mobilink Web Pass. This
product was made possible by Opera Software’s Opera Web
Pass, which simplifies mobile data offerings into understandable
and affordable mobile internet packages by using the existing
capabilities of the Opera Mini platform, such as data compression
and the zero-rating of mobile traffic.
Mobilink set the following goals for Mobilink Web Pass:
• Drive mobile internet awareness among its user base.
• Attract new mobile data subscribers.
• Make it exceptionally easy to sign up for data services.
• Make the mobile internet affordable to its users.
• Turn first-time, “free” data users into long-term paying users.
Opera, Opera Software, Opera Mini, and the “O” logo are trademarks of Opera Software ASA. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. © 2014 Opera Software ASA.
Mobile internet barriers to entry in Pakistan
• Limited broadband infrastructure, across both desktop and mobile
• Primitive device interfaces (3) 75% of users using non-smartphones)
• General lack of knowledge - over 1) 60% of population living in rural areas
• Overall negative perception (“data is too expensive”)
• Slow 2G mobile networks, which discourage active mobile web usage
• Lack of proper education about the internet
Creating buzz, awareness and attention
Conclusion
To create awareness and interest in the Mobilink Web Pass, Mobilink
carried out the following marketing and promotional tactics:
Providing access to Facebook and other popular sites for free to
users via zero-rating as part of an operator-branded Opera Web
Pass launch is a key tactic in an operator’s web pass strategy. This
tactic rapidly builds awareness and interest among users to try out
the internet and engage in social media with friends online without
any financial commitment. After the trial period is over, most users’
curiosity has been heightened, naturally leading them to explore the
rest of the mobile internet. This opens up doors for the operator to
upgrade these users to affordable, time- or content-limited paid web
passes, which in turn leads to more data subscriptions and increased
data revenues.
• Free 10 minute internet pass
• Access to free, “zero-rated” sites—including Facebook and
Twitter—for 24 hours
• An interstitial message on free sites that encouraged all
Facebook Zero and Twitter users to try the Mobilink Web Pass
• An SMS-push campaign to existing Mobilink data users
• Promotion of Mobilink Web Pass via Opera Mini’s built-in promo-
tional spots including Speed Dial, the dual-feature box and a Smart Page text link
• An animated, fun YouTube video that highlighting the ease in purchasing a pass
Results to date
By incentivizing usage through “10 minutes of free internet” and
“Free sites for 24 hours” passes, Mobilink dramatically increased
awareness and interest in the Mobilink Web Pass by allowing users
to try out the mobile internet for free, as well as providing them with
first-hand examples in how easy and affordable it can be to venture
online with their mobile phones. The combined tactics resulted in
an increase in unique monthly Mobilink Web Pass users by 98%, a
585% increase in the number of paid web passes sold and a 115%
increase in month-over-month web pass revenues.
Promotional web banner used on Mobilinks website
Simple purchase process through Opera Mini
Opera, Opera Software, Opera Mini, and the “O” logo are trademarks of Opera Software ASA. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. © 2014 Opera Software ASA.