In September 2005, someone somewhere picked up a handset, made a call and became the world’s 2 billionth mobile subscriber. The leading technology, GSM passed the same subscriber milestone in June 2006. With continued rapid growth in combination with different ways of subscription sharing, many people now have regular access to mobile telephony services but there are still a significant potential for growth. Billions more than today’s users are craving the benefits of mobile telephony. This desire for mobile handsets is a powerful market force, and mobile technology can accelerate economic growth in an entire society. The opportunity is potentially immense, for users, operators and society alike.

If only the services were affordable. Four huge changes are now taking place, strong enough to push down prices and carry mobile technology over the digital divide. Once the floodgates are open, the marketplace is almost without limit.

A rural village, somewhere in Africa. When a villager is sick he no longer needs to walk for days to find a doctor, instead he calls for initial medical advice. Business transactions are made over the mobile phone, which provides the role of local bank. Education is growing, thanks to the mobile, including life saving HIV/AIDS guidance via telemedicine. How can we make this possible for more villages?