Form, Transform, Platform: How the Ubiquity of Mobile Phones Is Unleashing an Entrepreneurial Revolution

Abstract

The spread of mobile technology throughout low-income countries has given rise to prominent entrepreneurs like Indian-born Sunil Mittal and Sudanese-born Mo Ibrahim who took initiatives to introduce the technology in large parts of India and Africa, respectively. Entrepreneurs like Mittal and Ibrahim, along with major mobile phone operators, have succeeded in making mobiles virtually universal and have deservedly become highly visible industrial leaders and examples for younger generations to create new success stories. Now mobiles themselves, in turn, are unleashing thousands, if not millions, of entrepreneurs in low-income countries. These new entrepreneurs are less visible but nonetheless contributing to a dispersed entrepreneurial ecology on the ground that will change lives, create innovations and strengthen democratic forces.