Cost-Effective Broadband in Rural/Remote Areas

Zhang, Mingliu and Richard Wolff (2004). Using WiFi for Cost-Effective Broadband Wireless Access in Rural and Remote Areas. Wireless Communications and Networking Conference, 2004. IEEE. Volume 3, Issue 21-25, March 2004: 1347 – 1352. http://www.coe.montana.edu/ee/rwolff/WCNC-%20conf-final.pdf
This paper examines the economics of using Wi-Fi to provide high-speed internet access to rural communities. It takes a variety of rural areas into account, including areas consisting of towns, smaller remote communities, and widely scattered users. Calculations consider demographics, equipment and operations costs, technology type, service revenues, and customer demand and usage, to estimate the life-cycle economics of rural wireless networks in terms of capital investment and profitability. The paper concludes that cost-effective, affordable high-speed wireless Internet access can be provided in rural and remote areas. The paper’s cost-estimation model may be useful to communities who would like to calculate costs for their own local network.