AT&T uses Opera to shoulder data traffic

With a network that is already overloaded with data traffic, AT&T has enlisted the help of Opera Software's server-side compression technology to help bring mobile Web access to even more subscribers.

Today, AT&T debuted four new feature phones, two from Pantech (Reveal and Impact) and two from Samsung (Mythic and Flight) which the company touts as "Full Web Browsing Phones," equipped with a new att.net branded HTML browser that "utilizes advanced data compression from Opera Software, allowing for much faster delivery of HTML Web pages."

Though AT&T did not specify which compression technologies the new browser uses, Opera Turbo is the likely candidate for AT&T's compression technology of choice. Opera Turbo is a cross-platform solution that can compress network traffic up to 80% to reduce network traffic and increase the browsing speed on the user's end.

This is the same technology used in Opera Mini, which counted 26.5 million users and 10.4 billion page views in June 2009, which had then grown to more than 30 million users and 12 billion page views in just one month's time. Opera Mini has increased nearly 225% in page views year over year.

Opera's servers were close to processing two petabytes of raw data in August, and Opera Software's CEO Jon S. von Tetzchner said he expected that number to be passed in September. Opera has not yet released its updated "State of the Mobile Web" address to show if this feat was accomplished.