TaguaSpot: A Versatile Radio Access Networks Design for the Integration of Indigenous Communities to the Information Society

Traditional solutions for bridging the digital divide focus on providing last-mile connectivity solutions (backhaul and mid-haul) for underserved populations such as villages and rural environments. In this paper, we propose a novel solution for improving the quality of local communications in those environments by leveraging architectural aspects of 5G communications networks. This idea, which we call TaguaSpot, was created especially for local settlements in tropical countries like the Republic of Panama. The TaguaSpot Radio Access Network (RAN) design architecture is versatile and has the functionality needed to deliver digital communications services in most environmental constraints of these indigenous communities. TaguaSpot is based on low-cost, low-energy hotspots with Edge Computing capabilities as well as other 5G network principles in order to enhance the local communication experience for users in remote locations.