Opera Buys Skyfire Labs For Up To $155 Million

Opera’s biggest purchase yet?

Skyfire Labs, a company that raised $23 million just over a year ago, has been acquired by Opera Software in a deal said to be worth up to $155 million in both cash and stock. This includes an upfront payment of $50 million and performance based payments over the next 3 years.

While it’s been a while since we heard about Skyfire’s web browser, it looks like this wasn’t the only driving force behind the acquisition.

As stated in the press release, Skyfire Labs package also includes “Rocket Optimizer”, a software that reduces the size of the video and other multimedia, hence giving mobile operators an extra 60% boost to their network capacity.

Opera’s CEO, Lars Boilesen said, “Opera and Skyfire are a natural fit. Both companies have evolved far beyond their browser roots. Skyfire adds capabilities to our portfolio around video, app optimization, smartphones and tablets, and strength in North America. With video expected to consume over two-thirds of global mobile bandwidth by 2015, and as time spent on Android and iOS apps explodes, we are excited to extend Opera’s solutions for operators.”

If you are hungry for more details, check out their press release page.