Mobile communication helps create value and increase quality of life for people in every part of the world. Ericsson believes that the creation of local, sustainable businesses is the proven mainstay of economic growth and will have a much greater impact on poverty reduction than charity alone. Everyone benefits from the opportunity to take part in the global information society - individuals, industry and society as a whole.

For people living in developing countries, access to low-cost telephone services translates directly into economic growth and new business opportunities. Ericsson is working actively to make communication affordable for people on all income levels. To achieve this, we offer services and solutions that lower barriers to entry for telecom operators. Examples include infrastructure designed to optimize total cost of ownership of the mobile network, and simple, cost-effective user applications.

Subscriber penetration continues to soar in emerging markets. There are already more than 2.7 billion mobile subscriptions in the world, and the best estimates suggest this number will rise to 3 billion during 2007 and to 4.5 billion during 2010. Taking into account shared subscriptions, as much as 85% of the world's population will have access to mobile services within a few years. While these new users might spend less on a per-capita basis, their collective purchasing power will be enormous.