• The mobile phone holds the power of ubiquity. Across the developing world, around 40% of people now actively subscribe to mobile services. Well over 50% have access to a mobile, despite not owning one. Access to mobile services in the developing world has outpaced the rate at which much of the population is gaining access to basic services such as electricity, sanitation, and banking.
• As the one technology that is becoming widely accessible to all populations, including those at the bottom of the economic pyramid (BOP), there has been increased focus on the invaluable role mobile technology can play in improving social, economic and environmental development in emerging markets. As the remaining unconnected populations get access to mobile technology and the capabilities it provides, the lives of these populations will fundamentally shift. The simple increase in access to information at a faster pace, from new sources, will influence everything. Affordable mobile phones and the opportunities they usher in for the poor will be one of the most dramatic game-changing technologies the world has ever seen. Industry growth will happen with or without our intervention; the role of MDI will be to educate all those interested in harnessing the power of mobile for good. This confluence underlines the opportunity held by Mobile for Development, which seeks to draw investment and partnership to scale mobile-enabled services that can help to facilitate service delivery in the absence of traditional modes of infrastructure that would otherwise do this. Indeed, Mobile for Development is a growing sector, with well over 1,000 live services now tracked by the GSMA across the developing world in verticals such as money, health, education and entrepreneurship. The problem is that while the sector has enjoyed continued growth in the number of services over the last 5-7 years, scaling up services still proves to be a challenge and sustainable business models continue to be elusive.
•This work is designed to inform and add insight to help address these challenges. It has been developed by Mobile for Development Intelligence with support from the Rockefeller Foundation. Our inclusive approach included a research process and production of an interim and final report in April and May 2013 respectively, with a series of peer review workshops held in Nairobi, Kenya and Washington DC to drive collaboration and thought leadership across stakeholder groups.