Opera Software is attempting to further expand its take-up in Africa after announcing plans to join forces with Telecel Zimbabwe, which is owned by VimpelCom, to unveil a co-branded browser.

The partnership comes hot on the heels of Opera’s deal with Bharti Airtel to make its mini browser available in 17 African countries.

“It is a smart mobile browser that delivers a fast, improved internet browsing experience for low-cost mobile phones and yet reduces the amount of data transferred over our network,” said John Swaim, managing director, Telecel.

He also said the demand for mobile internet access was rapidly accelerating among Telecel Zimbabwe’s subscribers, as it was in other emerging markets, where it is outpacing the penetration of smart phones and the deployment of 3G networks.

Mike Saunders, chief executive officer, DigitLab, said Opera has long been the front-runner in developing a dedicated mobile browser so the partnership only makes sense.

“Mobile is the primary communication platform to reach markets in Africa and a partnership with Opera should line both companies up to take advantage of the increasing demand for internet access in Africa,” said Saunders.

“This partnership opens up a big opportunity for business to connect with an African audience over the internet,” he added.