Digital Divide In Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

Question: Describe about the Digital Divide In Rural Sub-Saharan Africa ? Answer: Introduction In this assignment reading about rural internet connectivity is explained with the example of the comparison between the technical and social issues in the development of Wi-Fi network. IEEE Wi-Fi Standards IEEE 802.11 is a family of networking standard of IEEE 802 that covers the technology of physical layer such as Ethernet and wireless technologies. IEEE 802.11 standards are utilized to distribute the Wi-Fi and its security aspects and its quality of services. IEEE 802.11 standards consist of physical layer specification, Wireless local area network (LAN) and Media Access Control (MAC). Advanced improvements to the original standard of 802.11 are 802.11 a, b, g etc. IEEE standards provide the certifications to the Products by passing tests of the standard and are called "Wi-Fi certified." IEEE Wi-Fi standards provide these specifications: Uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing Enhancement in the speed of data up to 54 Mbps Enhancement in the originally defined 802.11 to improve data rate to higher mode of Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS). Boosts the data speed. Upload Speed The rate at which data is transferred from user side to internet is called upload speed. It is defined as the data transferred from the user to internet in each second. Mbps: Mbps is the unit of rate of transfer of data per second. 1 Megabits per second means 1000 kilobits transferred in a second. Table 1: comparison of aspects of the digital divide in Nepal and Zambia Statistic Nepal Zambia Population 26,494,504 people based on 2011 census 15,021,002 people based on 2014 census Percentage of population using the internet 28.92% 15.8% Average broadband upload speed 65 kBps 64 kbps Number of languages spoken by at least 1% of the population Nepali (44.6%, 2011 census) Maithili (11.7%) Bhojpuri (8.0%) Tharu (5.8%) Tamang (5.1%) Kiranti (3.3%) Nepal Bhasa (3.2%) Magar (3.0%) Bajjika (3.0%) Doteli (3.0%) Urdu (2.6%) Sunuwar Kirat (2.0%) Awadhi (2.0%) Baitadeli (1.02%) Bemba (52% ), Nyanja (37%), Tonga (15%) and Lozi (11%), English (2%) Number of secure internet servers 84 (Number) in 2014 3.6(per 1 million people) in 2014 Electricity generated per year 6.44 Mega Watt 771 Kilo Watt Technical barriers to bridging the digital divide in rural sub-Saharan Africa Zambia, is a poor rural area of Africa, having scattered estates and a very small infrastructure where people live in a subsistence lifestyle. The primary source of living is maize farming. The Macha work organization of Zambia has created a project to develop a Wi-Fi network for long distance wireless and mesh methods of communication. Wi-Fi network gives connectivity to 300 community workers and visitors by providing satellite-based internet. Satellite-based internet provides about 128 kbps and a upload speed of 64 kbps according to the commitment. The technical devices and solutions employed in Macha are wireless local area network (WLAN) because it is easy to connect computer devices to wireless network. Wired connections are hardly used in Zambia due to the requirement of most installation efforts and maintenance. Technical problems experienced in installation of wireless communication network are as follows: Instability in power instability and bugs in software up-gradation Long delay and low throughput due to the shared connection Power grid installation problems Mesh networks are very beneficial in rural areas because of its reliability to develop the infrastructure in the lower cost Large number of damages of electronic devices occur by interruption in power supply, dustand high temperature Electricity problems in rural areas cause damage of the internal parts of computers and electronic devices, the Local Area Network and the Wireless LAN. Power supplies, Hard disk drives, internet routers and Memory chips are affected by the electricity problems. Total 15.8 % population of Zambia uses internet whereas in Nepal approx. 23.98% of total population use internet. Social barriers to bridging the digital divide in rural sub-Saharan Africa Online social networks are widespread in developing countries. The interviews conducted in Macha showed that users post photos and wall comments, send messages and Facebook chats also. Some of the users use Facebook and other social networking sites for business advertising. Nepal wireless networking project gets financial support from donor organization and from individuals from around the world. Social issues experienced in installation of wireless communication network are as follows: Investment philosophy for Long-term investment. In rural areas of Zambia after Network expansion the companies should have long time investment strategy. Solution should be cost effective to make it financially feasible to the user and more affordable services. Public and private partnership between the user and private enterprise that recognizes the values of services to the local community Current Challenges in rural areas are as follows: Deficiency of technical proficiency Wi-Fi technologies are emerging and so can-not be utilized properly Geographical barriers created by the climatic conditions of country Funding resources are sustainable For the user internet cost is expansive Conclusion In this assignment the Digital Divide In Rural Sub-Saharan Africa has been described. Comparison between the social barriers and technical barriers to bridging the digital divide in countries of rural sub-Saharan Africa has been explained. References (Pejovic et al., 2012), The Bandwidth Divide: Obstacles to Efficient Broadband Adoption in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa