BOP markets used to be regarded, if they were regarded by large corporations at all, mostly as a place to unload excess or obsolete product. That has changed, as I will attempt to illustrate in this and following posts. What I am suggesting is that low-income, predominantly rural communities located at the edge of the telecom network, the edge of the electrical grid, and the edge of existing commercial markets, are becoming a key driver of technology innovation, in large part because their sheer scale warrants such attention.

BOP markets are beginning to be targeted with technologies designed specifically for the needs of low-income communities, and R&D and commercialization investment in such technologies is increasing. These technologies range from the prosaic but important, like low tech pedal-driven water pumps, to advanced hi tech inventions aimed at improving health and cultivating economic growth. They include near-term deployments, such as new wireless technologies and advanced low cost ATMs, as well as longer-term visions based on emergent composite, IT, nanotech, and biotech innovations that are beginning to attract venture capital investments.