Onavo Acquisition To Strengthen Facebook’s Mobile Strategy
On Monday, Facebook confirmed that it has acquired Onavo, a startup company that develops data-compression software to minimise data usage on smartphones.
According to its blog post, Onavo will remain a standalone brand and will keep their Tel Aviv office, which will give Facebook a brand new office in Israel. The acquisition will provide Facebook with technology that will help them to develop a mobile app for its next one billion subscribers.
As Facebook expands into emerging markets, it is crucial to develop an app that is functional and affordable. Among the main barriers are data plans, as users cannot afford them, or do not have strong enough Wi-Fi connection to operate the application.
The social network has been working hard to solve this issue by building mobile applications with data usage in mind, and has been experimenting with older Android versions to simulate a situation in which potential users interact with the app. In order to understand the market, the social network giant sent engineers to the Philippines to buy the best mobile phone for less than $50.
As well as the development of a better application, the acquisition of Onavo will help Facebook provide internet access globally via Internet.org.
Facebook said that Onavo will be a great addition to the company, and that it expects Onavo’s data compression technology to play an important role in Facebook’s efforts to connect more users to the internet. In addition, Onavo’s analytic tools will help Facebook provide better mobile services.
Exact terms of the deal are yet to be disclosed.
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