Opera Enables Zero-Rated App Access; Piloted by Telenor Asia

Opera software announced that "Mobile operators can now offer their subscribers free-of-charge access to selected apps for a set period of time, with sponsored and paid passes to apps coming shortly. This has been made possible by App Pass, an innovative new feature for Opera Max, the mobile data-savings and management app from Opera Software.
 
For operators, App Pass is a way to present offers to users when they open any app on their phones. With two clicks, users can gain free access to the data that app consumes via Opera Max: they can then return to the app knowing that any data consumed while using it will be zero-rated for the duration of the App Pass" 

Related posts - Zero rates services in Colombia, Pakistan and Zambia - vs, "Canada: Operators Directed to Stop Zero-Rate Video" - here.

"Telenor will be the first operator to partner with Opera and launch Opera Max with App Pass, testing it out in some of the company’s Asian markets. In the pilot phase Telenor is testing a number of short-term passes for different apps and offers that help its users gain a first-hand, low-risk understanding of the internet. These users can also see and then manage their own personal internet consumption patterns from within Opera Max"

Rolv-Erik Spilling [pictured], Head of Telenor Digital, said: “We’re eager to see how this service is received in our markets. App Pass is designed to give customers easy control over costs related to data usage. The challenge of so-called “bill shock” is high on our agenda, and these kinds of initiatives from Opera play an important part in addressing the issue”.

See "Consumers in emerging markets gain affordable access to apps" - here.