This brings the total number of Opera users to 105 million people, a solid milestone for the relatively young browser company.

 

“Experts all have some date when they claim the mobile Web will overtake the PC web – we're watching that transition now,” said Jon von Tetzchner, co-founder of Opera Software.

 

“But, rather than think of numbers, we think of people. 100 million is the beginning of a new era for the Web. In the next few years, hundreds of millions of people will take their first baby steps online. They will make their voices heard across their country and around the world. They will not only discover new ideas, but contribute their own. We defend those voices and celebrate those ideas. It is why we believe access to the Web is a universal right, and no device is more universal than a mobile phone.”

 

The company also announced some ambitious plans for the future, with Opera planning to unveil new versions of its Opera Mini browser on Android, iPhone, J2ME, BlackBerry, Symbian and even the iPad.

 

“We want our browser to impact lives in a meaningful way. It’s one reason we use mostly renewable resources to power Opera Mini’s servers. It’s why we make it light, so you don’t have to recharge your battery every few hours. It’s why Opera Mini and Opera Mobile can help operators reduce the bandwidth that clogs their networks. A browser may never change the world, but we’ll never stop trying to,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO of Opera Software.

 

Looking at the current browser standings, we see Internet Explorer is still in the lead with a global market share of 56%, Mozilla Firefox is in second place with a 22.75% share and Google Chrome is in third with a 10.7% slice. Bringing up the rear is Apple’s Safari with a 6.3% share and Opera Software now stands at a global share of 2.28%.