Assessment of Mobile Broadband Adoption for Narrowing Usage Gap in Rural Communities

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.