Page 120 - ITU Kaleidoscope 2016

2016 ITU Kaleidoscope Academic Conference

Table 1. Comparison of a classical 5G Urban Scenario with Rural and Low-income Ones
5G Urban Scenario 5G Rural Scenario 5G Low-income Scenario
Basic Connectivity, Emergency
HD Video, HD Streaming, Tactile HD Video, Emergency Service, e-
Service Type Service, Delay Tolerant, e-Health,
Internet, IoT Health, e-Learning
e-Learning
Network Con- Maximize Bandwidth, Minimize
Coverage, Guaranteed Bandwidth Coverage
straints Delay, Coverage
Unreliable Power Grid and/or Re-
Energy Sources Power Grid Power Grid, Renewable Sources
newable Sources
Network Cost
from the User Pay per bandwidth Same as standard urban users Low
Side
Business
Return on Investment Subsidized by the government Subsidized by the government
Model
Required Net-
work Flexibil- High High High
ity
Pedestrian, Vehicular, High Speed
User Mobility Pedestrian, Vehicular Pedestrian, Low Speed Vehicular
Vehicular

appropriate set of applications to guarantee these essential of the network in such zones.
services according to their different network constraints such Socio-Economic Challenges In addition to these aspects, we
as bandwidth requirements and link reliability. While for would like to stress that networking alone is not sufficient to
urban zones it is important to maximize the bandwidth and enable effective usage of its applications and services for a
minimize the delay, in rural areas it is essential to guarantee sustainable development. Other socio-economic challenges
a given minimum amount of bandwidth to users (e.g., the are also to be taken into account. First, affordability is to
one required to deliver video services - but not high defini- be considered in the networking development if the citizens
tion). Additionally, in rural and low-income zones it is even want to use it effectively to achieve better living conditions.
more important to guarantee basic coverage rather than high The cost of broadband connectivity is still higher than the
bandwidth services. In addition, another aspect that can not average income in developing countries. Therefore, it can
be neglected is that in rural and low-income zone the power be a financial barrier for the poor citizens and communities
grid may be not always available and/or unreliable, thus from benefiting from networking. Second, it is also crucial to
suggesting that renewable sources (such as the sun and the consider how relevant are applications and services provided.
wind) should be exploited. Moreover, the cost of the network Their users, especially the low-income people, need applica-
from the user side should be kept as low as possible, keep- tions that are necessary to their primary development needs
ing also in mind that in low-income areas the users should such as the basic instructions they can understand, accessi-
pay much less for an Internet connection compared to the ble through devices and services that they can afford and use
urban regions. This also inevitably influences the associated conveniently. Third, human capacity is as critical as applica-
business models in such zones, which can not be based on tions. Users need knowledge and skills to fully benefit from
the classical Return On Investment (ROI), but rather on the networking-enabled services, including ICT-based skills in
fact that the Internet is a primary need, that should be pro- the areas such as computer networking, web and basic appli-
vided, e.g., by the government rather than private operators. 4 cations development and elementary network security are es-
Moreover, the network has to be flexible in all scenarios. sential in all societies. Governments and policy-makers need
For example, in rural and low-income zone the network has, to understand the technical aspects of networking and their
e.g., to deal with the scarcity of electricity, as well as to services, as well as the interplay between technological and
wisely manage the network resources in order to guarantee public policy domains. Finally, the impact of the network-
coverage. Finally, the user mobility has to be always taken ing on environment is also critical. The networking can drive
into account. Specifically, rural and low-income zones are energy efficiency, smart systems and services to enable more
characterised by relatively lower mobility compared to urban productivities. However, networking is to be also a growing
5
ones. This feature may also have an influence on the design source of material consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions. This negative impact will increase as networking
4 become more and more widespread.
Private operators will not invest the cost of an infrastructure in such
zones, due to the low return on investment. Therefore, the government
should be either invest on the deployment of a minimum infrastructure or
even becoming a network provider. 4. OUR VISION
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In urban zones users may travel on high speed trains across the city. In
rural zones users are more fixed, e.g., they are located close to their houses.
In low-income zones users may be traveling by foot or by means of low- Given the aforementioned challenges, we first define the
speed vehicles. main pillars which, we believe, are essential for the design

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