DIY Model for Mobile Network Deployment: A Step Towards 5G for All

Mobile phones and innovative data oriented mobile services have the potential to bridge the digital divide in Internet access and have transformative developmental impact. However as things stand currently, economics come in the way for traditional mobile operators to reach out and provide high-end services to under-served regions. We propose a do-it-yourself (DIY) model for deploying mobile networks in such regions that is in the spirit of earlier community cellular networks but aimed at provisioning high-end (4G and beyond) mobile services. Our proposed model captures and incorporates some of the key trends underlying 5G mobile networks and look to expand their scope beyond urban areas to reach all by empowering small-scale local operators and communities to build and operate modern mobile networks themselves. We showcase a particular instance of the proposed deployment model through a trial deployment in rural UK to demonstrate its practical feasibility.