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.