A techno-economic model for future deployment of fixed broadband services to stimulate development across rural Africa
by Abdulkarim Oloyede; David Grace; Nasir Faruk
International Journal of Mobile Communications (IJMC), Vol. 21, No. 2, 2023

Abstract: The pervasive digital divide in rural areas particularly, in Africa, has affected digital inclusiveness and Sustainable Development Goals of the region. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other relevant bodies have been advocating for internet for all by 2020, as this would assist in realisation of the public policy, especially in developing economies. However, financial sustainability of the rural access schemes has been major bottlenecks. In this paper, the cost (CAPEX and OPEX) of deploying a terrestrial and high-altitude platform-based communication networks is examined. A techno-economic model for the deployment of future fixed broadband services across rural Africa is proposed. Findings from the simulation revealed that the deployment of fixed broadband services is possible across rural Africa while examining the elasticity invariance to some variables. Furthermore, the cost per person and per household for the proposed model is provided. The work further shows that in rural Africa, deploying a high-altitude platform network is likely to be more cost-effective when compared to a terrestrial network deployment.

Online publication date: Tue, 07-Feb-2023

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