Future Perspectives

This chapter presents a case for the provision of mobile data connectivity in rural areas by pointing out the benefits of rural deployment and the role of government in fast‐tracking rollout. Moreover, with changes coming to mobile networks sooner rather than later – 5G rollout is expected to start in 2020 – it is imperative to highlight future trends in wireless communications and how they will further the gains of, and complement, 5G. The chapter also presents an evaluation of key technologies that are worth considering in the development of beyond 5G mobile communication systems. Given the considerable levels of investment required to deploy 5G in rural areas, governments need to provide conducive environments by considering favourable regulatory and investment policies. Regulators need to adopt policies to enhance spectrum utilization by allowing operators to trade excess spectrum, grant sufficient spectrum and licences, and encourage infrastructure sharing to reduce OPEX costs of operators in rural areas.