Every mobile subscriber on the MTN network in Nigeria now has the opportunity to enjoy free internet access following the announcement of a partnership involving MTN, Opera Software and Naij, an online platform.

Goke Olaegbe, country group head at Naij.com, said the platform purchased one million web passes on Opera Mini browser to be delivered to subscribers on the MTN network.

"This is a way through which we are trying to encourage more Nigerians to come online. As a company committed to providing engaging online content for Nigerians, we're thrilled to also provide them with a day of mobile internet," he said.

He added that through this initiative his company is helping to bring free mobile internet to Nigerians via the MTN network and this has been made possible through Opera's Sponsored Web Pass, which allows operators to package their data in a user-friendly way. At the click of a button, users can get online and explore what the mobile internet has to offer.

Richard Monday, VP Africa for Opera Software, said this is the first time such an initiative would be deployed in any part of Africa to promote internet adoption.

According to him, while mobile penetration is high in Africa, internet penetration is still low as many low-end feature phone users are yet to experience internet. This set of people he said are the targeted beneficiaries of this offer – although every MTN subscriber is eligible for the offer.

"This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in Africa. MTN users will be able to activate their free day of internet and will be able to browse all websites using Opera Mini. Together with Naij and MTN, we are working together to boost mobile internet usage in Nigeria. Millions of Nigerians are yet to come online. And it's only when they do so that internet-based businesses can reach more people. So this is an initiative that this market needs. And we are glad they are deploying this through the compression capabilities of the Opera Mini browser," Monday told ITWeb Africa.

"Connecting more people, wherever they are and helping them to do more with their data will always be in the forefront of what we do at Opera. Partnerships like this are key to achieving our goals."

Whilst Nigeria's mobile penetration is rapidly expanding, mobile data usage is still low at around 38%. Many industry watchers who spoke to ITWeb Africa said the initiative may not be enough to give targeted users a complete internet experience because of the fact that it does not support downloads or streaming actions – this is also in addition to the 10MB data cap.

However, they added that it could stimulate the curiosity of new mobile internet users.

"Like they said, they are not really targeting heavy internet users because there is basically nothing serious that such people can use with the 10MB. But for people who have not used the internet before, they can appreciate what they are missing when they are able to use websites such as Wikipedia and could search for stuffs online. The 24-hour free internet could spur them to go and buy more data to explore the internet further," said Wale Ladipo, a tech reviewer.

On the part of MTN, Tsola Barrow, Acting Chief Enterprise Solutions Officer at MTN Business, said the network further supported the initiative as it in line with the network's vision to deliver a bold, new digital world to its customers.

"It also underpins our mission to make the lives of customers on Africa's largest network a whole lot brighter. We also truly believe in the power of bringing people online via the devices they use every day. Opera's Sponsored Web Pass helps take the fear out of using mobile internet for the first time," he said.

Naij.com's Olaegbe added that similar offers could soon be announced for subscribers on other telecoms networks operating in Nigeria.