— Washington Post (2/24/08)

There are about 6.6 billion people in the world, and some 3.3 billion mobile phone connections. That may sound like symmetry, but it's not. In some highly developed countries, there are more than 100 mobile phones per 100 people; in developing countries, phone penetration rates average around 30 per 100 people; in the poorest countries, pentration rates are in the low single digits. But, within the next few years, another billion people will get a mobile phone, and it will be their primary--and perhaps only--connection to the global communications network.

Who are these newly connected people? He or she is most likely from a developing country with a limited fixed-line network where mobile phones are selling like hotcakes (although some are low-income residents in rich countries). He or she is most likely working in the informal job sector as a self-employed farmer, tradesperson, or craftsperson. Many will be part of the indigenous supply chain that is delivering phones and mobile banking services into remote, rural areas.

Because countries with low levels of phone penetration also lack computers and internet connections, the mobile phone is quickly fast-forwarding into both PC and internet device (with limited graphics). The rapid spread of mobile banking in remote areas without bricks-and-mortar banks fast-forwards the mobile phone a wallet and credit card. RFID cards and biometrics tied to mobile-phones are turning local economies upside-down and increasing the velocity of money.

The race for innovation in on--with new opportunities for producers and suppliers of data software and financial services, and distributors of goods looking to solve the logistics puzzle of last-mile delivery. For techology companies, the spread of ICT in the developing world is an opportunity akin to the Industrial Revolution in the West in the 1800s.