Abstract:
Access to the internet is essential for social and economic development in the 21st century.
However, rural communities in many parts of the world, including the Southern Highlands region
of Tanzania, still face significant challenges in bridging the digital divide. The study assessed
the mobile broadband adoption to understand its potential for narrowing the usage gap in rural
areas. This study was conducted in the Southern highland’s regions of Tanzania (Iringa, Mbeya
and Ruvuma) specifically focusing rural areas. The study adopted cross sectional design that
employed mixed methods design. The study was guided by Technology Acceptance Model,
DeLone and McLean Model, Digital Divide and Capability Approach theories. Data were
collected from the desired sample size of 182 for quantitative components and 6 key informants
were included in the qualitative component. To collect data, questionnaire was designed and
shared with respondents. For the qualitative data collection, face to face in depth interview were
conducted with key informants until saturation point were reached. Descriptive analysis and
inferential analysis (correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to describe the
relationship between study variables) were performed for the quantitative data whereas, content
analysis was done for the qualitative data. The findings revealed variations in technology
adoption across rural settings. Specifically, 33.6% of respondents reported experiencing limited
or poor levels of technology utilization, indicating notable challenges in the adoption of
technological solutions. A substantial portion (54.9%) described their technology use as
moderate or average, suggesting a more prevalent but not highly advanced level of engagement
with technology. Also, when considering the state of mobile broadband infrastructure, it became
evident that most rural areas lack adequate coverage. Moreover; with the barriers, findings
revealed all three independent variables (users’ awareness, network coverage and resources)
are significant statistically on mobile broadband adoption as the dependent variable with p<0.05.
