Another low-cost solution for connecting rural areas is Wi-Fi-based backhaul technology, promoted by Detecon International of Germany, a consultancy. "We are looking at leveraging research in practice to offer affordable wireless land technology and get this out in developing nations," said Daniel Henkel, a senior consultant at Detecon.

"We are partnering with the Fraunhofer Research Institute of Germany, which developed a wireless land protocol fiber," Henkel said. "They also did what we called a mesh network, the basic technology behind what we are doing wherein we use cheap hardware in which we put software we designed ourselves, to offer affordable broadband networks."

Nodes in mesh networks receive and transmit their own data and also act as a relay for other nodes.

Henkel said his company's wireless product differs from the fiber-optic connectivity sought in many African countries because it doesn't require the laying of cable and is less expensive to install.

Though he noted that the company has done several projects in Africa through its office in Johannesburg, mainly providing wireless products for GSM operators, he gave reasons why many African countries are yet to opt for the Detecon technology.