5G in rural and low-income areas: Are we ready?

TLDR

Telecommunication trends predict widespread 5G adoption, yet many people remain without coverage and connectivity. The study aims to explore deploying 5G in rural and low‑income areas and to outline key pillars and a future network architecture. We review current state‑of‑the‑art, identify main challenges, and propose key pillars and a future network architecture for 5G deployment in rural and low‑income zones.

Abstract

Current trends in telecommunication networks foresee the adoption of the fifth generation (5G) of wireless networks in the near future. However, a large number of people are living without coverage and connectivity. To face this issue, we consider the possibility of deploying 5G networks in rural and low-income zones. After detailing the current state-of-the-art, we consider the main challenges that need to be faced. Moreover, we define the main pillars to follow in order to deploy 5G networks in such zones, as well as a proposal of a future network architecture.