2Wireless Networks and Rural Development: Opportunities for Latin America

Recent developments in wireless networking are raising new hopes for sustainable Internet diffusion in the rural areas of the developing world. These technologies allow drastic reductions in deployment costs, particularly for last-mile connectivity in low-density areas. More important, they make possible an infrastructure development model based on community-shared resources, small-scale investments, and user experimentation. This paper argues that the new generation of wireless technologies can significantly alleviate the constraints that limit Internet connectivity in Latin America to the wealthy, urbanized areas. Yet for this potential to be realized governments need to rethink current assumptions about spectrum management and universal access policies. It is widely accepted that new information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be used to alleviate a wide range of obstacles for economic and social development in the developing world. This is particularly true of the Internet. As a global platform for accessing and sharing information, the Internet offers unique opportunities t