Mobile connections. The future is evenly distributed.

Why do you -- or, why does you homeland -- have such a seemingly insurmountable lead in prosperity? Opportunity? Earnings?

Certain things come to mind. History and infrastructure go to the top of the list. However, there are other factors. Access to information. Access to funding. Strong social networks. Real-time data for decision-making. Powerful tools, such as the computer and Internet, to retrieve, analyze and act upon large data sets. The ability to create, distribute and monetize your experience, skills, creativity.

Prepare for a great leveling.

The mobile phone will transition into the smartphone before this decade is out. Your iPhone or Motorola Droid, for example, which are unaffordable to the vast majority of the world, will, in a few short years, be almost free. Then what? It is the poor, developing world that has so rapidly adopted mobile phones and the mobile web. And not just in total numbers but on a percentage basis. Soon, these billions will have equivalent knowledge and information and access and connectivity as you. They will be able to work with you, for you -- and compete against you on an even playing field (or, far more close to even than ever before in recorded history).

Why will someone, anyone, choose you?

Luckily, you have a few years to figure this out. Enough time, in fact, to build a business that connects and empowers these billions to their communities, regions and the planet. To start, review these mobile phone numbers:

The world's developing economies now account for almost 80 percent of the world's total mobile connections, according to new Wireless Intelligence data. Based on Q3 2010 figures, developing markets accounted for 3.98 billion of the world's 5.15 billion total connections – almost four out of every five mobile connections are now made in the developing world. These markets are also growing significantly quicker than the developed world, where mobile penetration is above 100 percent and connections growth is slowing. The developing economies grew their mobile subscriber base by over 19 percent year-on-year in Q3, over four times the rate in the developed economies. 

The top ten largest developing economies (based on mobile connections) have a combined 2.6 billion connections – over half of the global total. By contrast, the top ten developed economies total less than a billion connections with the USA accounting for about a third of this total. The developing economies accounted for seven of the top ten largest mobile markets (by connections) in Q3, the others being the USA (#3), Japan (#8) and Germany (#9). Developing markets also accounted for 35 of the top 50 largest markets by connections in the quarter, according to our data.