Web browser firm Opera has announced today that its Opera Mini 5 beta browser will come pre-installed on smartphones running Windows Mobile 5 and 6.

The product will offer improved page-load times and faster browsing speeds by taking advantage of the browser's ability to compress data by up to 90 per cent.

The firm claimed that this will give users a significantly reduced data load which could help reduce costs if users were on a pay-per-megabyte data plan or on roaming charges.

Dag Olav Norem, vice president of products at Opera, used the announcement as an opportunity to have a dig at Microsoft.

"Windows Mobile deserves a mobile browser that looks better, handles better and delivers better than the default browser. We are pleased to offer our browser as a native Windows Mobile application," he said.

The firm also explained that, while in the past Opera Mini browsers have usually run Java, the new Windows Mobile version will not use the software.

However, Opera said that, despite ditching Java, the browser will still offer many of the same functions as Java-enabled platforms, including tabbed browsing, password management, bookmarks and speed dial.

The move represents yet another push by Opera in the mobile sphere as it looks to carve out market share in the growing mobile internet space.

The firm announced at Mobile World Congress that it was planning a dedicated version of its Mini browser for the iPhone.