Opera stops free data offers in Kenya amid regulatory changes

Popular browser company Opera has halted its free data offers in Kenya due to regulations by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) regarding advertisements on the speed dial browser feature.

BCLB last August directed licensed betting firms to refrain from displaying advertisements on the speed dial feature of Opera’s Opera Mini browser without regulatory approval.

The feature, commonly known as bookmarks, is a collection of a browser's frequently visited web pages displayed as thumbnails that redirect users to the respective pages when selected.

Under the campaign, Opera gave Kenyan users up to 50MBs of free data daily, amounting to 1.5 GB every month.

In a statement, the browser company expressed concern that ceasing the offers will mostly affect approximately 2 million Kenyan feature phone users most in need of internet access who have lost it since Opera stopped its free data program.

Before the regulatory changes, Opera had announced plans to invest heavily in the free data campaign compared to previous years.

But the company, which has 13.5 million Kenyan users, now says it has put the plans on hold.

Opera said it provided upwards of four million gigabytes of free data in 2023 under the campaign, amounting to approximately $11.81 million (Ksh.1.59 billion).

Over the last four years, the company has enabled users to save 15 million gigabytes of data, the equivalent of $19 million (Ksh.2.6 billion).

Combined with the effect of Opera Mini’s data-saving technology, Opera says it has enabled Kenyan users to save nearly $60 million (Ksh.8 billion) worth of data over the last four years.