Company denies its early reveal was to put pressure on Apple.
Opera showed off its first mobile browser for iPhone at Mobile World Congress last month, but the app hasn't been submitted for approval to Apple yet.
"I can't positively say the time frame, but I can say it's very soon," company spokesperson Thomas Ford tells CNN, before specifying that it's "weeks" away from submission.
The company is claiming that Opera Mini for iPhone will be six times faster than Apple's own Safari browser.
However, Apple has not so far approved any third-party browsers for distribution on the App Store, due to its policy of not allowing apps that directly duplicate the iPhone's own functionality.
It's been suggested that Opera's early reveal was aimed to put pressure on Apple to change its policy.
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"I wouldn't say we're trying to back Apple into a corner," says Ford. "We feel that we're very much following their rules."
Spotify famously released a video of its iPhone app before submitting it to Apple, sparking weeks of 'will they, won't they?' speculation before it was finally approved.
