  Providing connectivity to around half of the World population living in rural
or underprivileged areas is a tremendous challenge, but also a unique
opportunity. In this paper, a survey of technologies for providing connectivity
to rural areas, and that can help address this challenge, is provided.
Fronthaul and backhaul techniques are discussed. In addition, energy and cost
efficiency of the studied technologies are analyzed. Typical application
scenarios in rural areas are discussed, and several country-specific use cases
are surveyed. Directions for future evolution of rural connectivity are
outlined.
