Late last year I was invited up to Singapore to hear about Google’s vision for connecting the next 1 billion people to the Internet. One third of the world’s population is now online, but Google expects there is plenty of scope for growth as services become cheaper and more far reaching.

The needs of the next billion Internet users may be very different from those of existing users, creating opportunities for new service providers who can meet those needs in low-cost, innovative ways.

In this story for the SMH IT Pro website I look at Google’s ambitions, and the opportunities that might exist for Australian entrepreneurs to create services for people in emerging online markets. It follows on from a theme I’ve explored in other stories – that Australian entrepreneurs must look to more markets than just North America is they are to maximize the opportunities that are out there, especially as the balance of economic power migrates west across the Pacific Ocean. Australasia’s prosperity is already tied to our north west neighbours when it comes to minerals and energy- the same may also be true for our information and services sector.