Abstract:

With the growing demand on the new generation of Internet-based applications, it has become clear that providing landline high-speed Internet for rural communities is an expensive and impractical task. Obtaining these fast connections could be via deploying wireless infrastructures either by pure wireless networks or by a combination of wireless ad-hoc networks and minimal fixed overlay networks or backbones. With the difficulty in implementing such plans with commercial success, providing digital connectivity to rural communities through academic institutes using satellite communications and/or Wide Area Networks provides a viable option. This paper proposes an innovative solution to this timely problem via collaborative efforts between academic institutions and local communities. The proposed model appears to be the most viable option to deal with the emerging issues of the digital divide. We also present few case studies in which the proposed model is employed.