Open English powers live language learning globally with Agora's real-time infrastructure

EdTech / Language Learning

Problem

Cost-effectively delivering stable, high-quality live classes amid global expansion

Solution

Agora Video and Voice SDK, powered by Agora's SDRTN® infrastructure, delivers stable, ultra-low latency live streams across mobile and web for real-time classroom experiences

Results

7M+ live class attendees powered annually  

96% student satisfaction rate across live classes 

95% of students reported improved English skills

About Open English

Democratizing English language learning across the globe

Open English is Latin America's leading online English learning platform, founded with a singular mission: democratizing access to English education across the region. The platform connects students with native teachers through live, interactive classes delivered entirely online, making quality language education accessible regardless of geography or income.

Over the past 17 years, Open English has grown into a globally recognized brand, serving more than 3 million enrolled students across 25+ countries. Market studies show that 9 out of 10 people in Latin America are familiar with the brand, making Open English one of the region's most recognized consumer education brands. Today, the company is expanding beyond Latin America into Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

The Problem

Delivering reliable, live classroom interactions at a global scale

Open English's core value proposition rests entirely on live human interaction — native-speaking teachers and students engaging in real time, regardless of where they are in the world. As the platform scaled across Latin America and beyond, delivering consistent, high-quality video streaming across diverse networks, devices, and geographies became mission-critical. Any degradation in connection quality directly compromises the learning experience.

With over 1,500 teachers operating across time zones and students connecting from markets with varying network conditions – from high-speed urban connections in Mexico City and Rio to variable 4G networks in smaller Latin American towns – Open English needed an infrastructure partner capable of sustaining classroom-grade reliability at scale — without placing the burden of infrastructure management on internal teams.

Key Challenges

Cost-effectively delivering stable, high-quality live classes

Consistent quality of experience across devices, network conditions, and regions

Maintaining satisfaction rates as the platform and user base expanded rapidly

Competitors Evaluated

Choosing a platform that delivers a consistent experience regardless of the students’ location

While Open English previously relied on Zoom, they sought a partner capable of maintaining—or improving upon—that reliability to support our global student base, coupled with enhanced features and greater cost-efficiency.

Agora differentiated itself through proven performance at scale for other leading language learning platforms, a fully managed global network, and the technical depth to support a migration of this complexity, ensuring continuity of the live class experience during and after the transition.

Key Challenges

Zoom

Twilio

Vonage Video API

The Solution

A real-time communications infrastructure trusted by many global EdTech platforms

Open English chose Agora as the real-time infrastructure for its live classroom experience across all its platforms – Adult, Junior (for 8-14-year-old learners), and Business (used by over 14,000 companies). The integration enabled seamless, low-latency video streaming between teachers and students — whether in one-on-one sessions, traditional group classes, or conversational group formats — delivering a consistent classroom experience regardless of device or location. 

By deploying Agora across its full product suite, the platform unified its real-time communications architecture under a single, production-grade platform. 

Why Open English chose Agora:

Global network infrastructure sustaining stable performance across all key markets 

Seamless SDK integration across web, iOS, and Android platforms 

Proven to meet rigorous government requirements for their B2G expansion

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The Power of Real-Time Engagement

Products Used

"The transition to Agora has allowed us to maintain the quality and consistency that our students expect from every live class. Keeping a 96% satisfaction rate across millions of interactions is only possible with infrastructure you can genuinely rely on." 

Thais Preis Oliveira, Chief Marketing Officer, Open English

Results and ROI

With Agora powering its live online classes, Open English has enabled 1,500+ teachers to deliver language lessons to 3M+ students in 25+ countries. The platform continues to maintain a 96% student satisfaction rate in live classes, with 95% reporting improved language skills and 70% of students completing post-class surveys —reflecting consistently high engagement across every session.

Beyond core metrics, the reliability of Agora's infrastructure has directly enabled Open English's expansion into large-scale government partnerships — including a nationwide initiative with the Costa Rican government offering free English classes to all citizens over 16 and a 70,000-student program with the Secretary of Education in São Paulo, Brazil — deployments that demand zero tolerance for streaming failure.

Results after implementing Agora:

96% student satisfaction across all live class sessions 

95% of students reported improvement in English skills 

7M+ live class attendees powered annually 

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