Broadband connectivity is a necessary service
required not only in urban areas but more so in rural areas
where most of the basic services are inadequate or do not exist
at all. Broadband services can enable many services to be
offered through information and communication technologies
(ICTs) to the extent that rural people can get a chance to enjoy
quality communication and other services as in urban areas
and be part of the socio-economic development of a given
community. Currently, there is a number of technologies and
initiatives to connect rural and urban-underserved areas at a
reasonable cost but most of the rural users are yet to be
connected. This paper gives an overview and a discussion on
technologies, broadband connectivity models, infrastructure
and policy readiness, and initiatives towards achieving
connectivity and bridging the digital divide. The context of this
paper is rural areas in Tanzania.
2017. Vol. 15, no 4
Broadband connectivity, WiMAX, Optic Fibre Cable, rural and urban-underserved, broadband technologies, digital divide.