Networking in rural environments: Benefits, feasibilities, and requirements

Abstract

Building networks in rural areas is difficult because of the tough rural environments and low return to the service operators on investment. Rural networking and their applications in education, health, community development, and business development are essential to the daily life for both inhabitants and visitors. They further bring opportunities in job and business which play a key role in developing most underdeveloped rural areas. Moreover, rural communication will grow with the initial investment in rural networking. It will become the major communication market and generate large profits to service operators and equipment manufacturers. Wireless networking is generally considered a solution to these difficulties in rural conditions. Compared with the wireline construction, setting up wireless networks is faster, more flexible, and less expensive. In addition, many new and advanced wireless technologies have enabled universal communication to rural and remote areas in a profitable manner. Yet special technological requirements need to be met for wireless networking to become feasible in rural areas.