A Comparative Study of Rural Networking Solutions for Global Internet Access

Over the years, cellular technologies have generally focused on providing services to urban areas, thus leaving the rural locations unaddressed in terms of network coverage. This is because the network providers perceive only those places as service-areas where high revenues may be foreseen. Therefore, the ultimate result is an increase in digital divide among rural and urban areas. In this work, we analyze various technologies regarding their feasibility in rural deployment for the pursuit of global internet access. We break down their suitability in terms of network architecture and performance parameters, followed by their comparison in terms of key characteristics and deployment considerations.