Connecting Rural Areas: A Solution Approach to Bridging the Coverage Gap

Abstract

Access to the Internet, new information, and communication technologies are becoming necessary in human life. However, for people in rural and remote areas, connectivity remains scarce and a big challenge. It is a fact that telecommunication services are primarily deployed in urban areas, for which the return on investment is more evident, to the detriment of rural and isolated areas. However, the absence of these services constitutes a hindrance to socio-economic development. In this paper, we consider that rural connectivity presents specific needs and peculiarities. We first recall the challenges to removing barriers to connectivity in rural areas. Second, we argue that improving access to technology requires expanding mobile networks and implementing appropriate technologies. Thus, this article takes stock of the technologies suitable to rural, poor, and isolated areas. After analyzing and discussing each technology and highlighting the impact of the choice of technology on the challenges of connectivity in remote areas, this paper proposes an architecture for future networks based on existing solutions to eliminate the coverage gap in rural areas.