•The decision by the regulator which targeted the widely-used and data-saving Opera Mini alone, saw the firm end its free data programme in April.
•The BCLB move however makes little sense, industry players have argued, in light of the fact that other technology companies have no such prohibition.
Kenya has become the only country in the world to restrict basic browser functionality, amid concerns of discrimination.
This follows a recent decision by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) on speed dials, which has also continued to lock out millions from internet access.
The local regulator has targeted a feature within web browsers called speed dials, on which advertising is now banned.
Bookmarks and speed dials are integral navigational tools of the internet and are key features of all browsers since the dawn of the internet, performing the critical function of allowing users to surf the web more quickly and easily – and without having to memorise the long and complex URLs (Uniform Resource Locator) – the address of a unique resource on the internet.
“Bookmarks allow you to save the web addresses of your favorite websites in a folder for easy access later. They are shortcuts that take you to websites you most frequently visit without you having to memorise the link to that page,” Eugine Odhiambo, an IT consultant explained.
Speed dials are a visual analogy to bookmarks. Both features simply enable one to quickly jump to their most visited sites with just a single click, making browsing experience more efficient.
Both features are common to every web browser worldwide – including global heavyweights like Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari – and are an important everyday aspect of how users navigate the web.
BCLB however banned speed dials on one browser: Opera Mini, while allowing Chrome, Safari, and others to continue to operate speed dials.
The decision by the regulator which targeted the widely-used and data-saving Opera Mini alone, saw the firm end its free data programme that benefitted about 13.5 million local users, who had access to 50MB daily free data.
The programme which started in 2020, where Opera has been giving free data to all its users including feature phones users, was ended in April this year.
“We had to put a hold on investments and free internet access in Kenya, but we are hoping for a solution so that we can once again provide free data to you, our valued customers in Kenya,” the firm had said in a statement.
The BCLB move however makes little sense, industry players have argued, in light of the fact that other technology companies have no such prohibition, and continue to operate speed dials normally.
“It’s been widely observed on social media that millions of Kenyans are struggling without the monthly 1.5GB from Opera’s Free Data campaigns. So whatever the intentions of the regulation may have been – which remains unclear, given that Opera Mini was very much singled out here– it is apparent the effort has been a failure, and has adversely impacted millions of Kenyan mobile phone users,” an official told the Star.
Communication Authority's latest data shows there were at least 31.8 million feature phones in the market as of December, users who also benefited from the free data campaign that was being run in partnership with leading telcos Safaricom and Airtel.
The total mobile phone devices stood at 65.45 million as of December, translating to a penetration rate of 129.4 per cent.
The penetration rate for feature phones and smartphones stood at 62.9 per cent and 66.4 per cent, respectively, meaning feature phones still serve a huge number of Kenyans, who have since been pushed out of internet access.
This, as the cost of internet in Kenya remains high compared to other markets, with a gigabyte averaging Sh299.03 ($2.25), compared to the $25 cents (Sh33 ) in developed markets.
Opera however still offers a unique feature set and data-saving functionality, allowing one to save up to 90 per cent of data while browsing through Opera Mini.
Opera has been big in Africa with the free internet plan, with over 100 million users across the continent where Kenya and Nigeria accounted for a big part of it.
The free data was part of Opera’s big way of supporting the users and driving Kenya’s digital inclusion and transformation, management said.
“As an organisation that prides itself in offering customer-driven data solutions, Opera’s aim is to contribute towards bridging the digital divide and offering seamless browsing experiences to all users including those who browse using feature phones,” the firm said in a recent statement.