Half of new Web users in some countries have never accessed the Internet via PC, according to a survey conducted by Opera Software.

Fifty-six percent of Opera Mini and Opera Mobile browser users worldwide access the Web solely on mobile devices, Opera reports. That number drops to 43 percent among non-Opera users. In addition, Opera users are 35 percent more likely to purchase music on their phone and 29 percent more likely to download premium games than non-users.

Earlier this year, Opera launched Payment Exchange, enabling users to carry out secure transactions directly within the mobile browser and charge their purchases to their monthly wireless bill. Opera Payment Exchange provides APIs enabling publishers and developers to integrate transaction capabilities into their mobile web content. According to Opera, OPX also is designed to appeal to payment providers and gateways weary about inconsistent user experiences and fear of fraud, deliver one-click purchases as well as native support for payment instruments. Opera will roll out the service across the globe in the months ahead.

More than 168 million unique users were registered on the Opera Mini platform in March 2012, viewing more than 117 billion webpages during the period. The free Opera Mini 7 expanded to Google's Android mobile operating system late last month.