Mobile connectivity in emerging markets is increasing, and increasing rapidly: four out of five mobile connections are made in these countries – that’s 17 every second – and 1 billion mobile broadband connections were established in 2013, officially overtaking the developed world. With increased connectivity comes new opportunities for entrepreneurial organisations to solve market pain points and fill gaps in basic service access. In the last five years, the number of products and services using mobile to create positive social impact in emerging markets has increased from 670 to over 1800.
The fact you are reading this blog means that you probably have some interest in this area: in understanding how mobile innovation can improve access to health, education, utility and financial services; in designing mobile-enabled products and services for people previously excluded; or in learning how organisations offering such services can do so in a way that leads to scale, sustainability and impact. There are huge, untapped commercial opportunities in these regions, but often, mobile operators, entrepreneurs, investors and non-profits find it challenging to find the data and information they need to realise this potential.
The Mobile for Development Impact site
To help overcome this challenge, the Mobile for Development Impact site offers data and analysis on mobile in emerging markets in order to inform investment and design decisions and to support digital inclusion. It is now much easier to explore the range of open data and expert analysis that we offer with a view to driving investment and innovation in emerging markets. The site features leading mobile industry market information from GSMA Intelligence, which was previously only available through corporate subscription, as well as statistics from a diverse range of sources, including the World Bank; the UN; GSMA member operators; vendors and development organisations. We also host our unique Mobile for Development trackers, which show where M4D products and services are deployed globally.
You can view and download the maps, graphs, data and insights that we offer in a variety of formats to supplement your business cases, reports and enquiries into how mobile can deliver commercial and social impact in emerging markets. You can also:
• See which network operators are active in a country and what the network coverage is (2G, 3G or 4G) where available
• View what Mobile for Development products and services exist within each country
• Access ground-breaking research, analysis and case studies produced by the Mobile for Development Impact team
• Links to national statistics, collated from leading development organisations to clarify the social needs in a market
• Register to receive new ground-breaking research, reports and industry news via email
So, if you are a mobile operator who wants to build stronger business cases for services in emerging markets; an entrepreneur who wants to identify new business opportunities; an investor who would like to identify potential investments or a development organisation aiming to understand best practices and to demonstrate the social and economic impact of mobile, check out www.m4dimpact.com and share your feedback – we’d love to know what you think.