document: Traffic characterization and internet usage in rural Africa While Internet connectivity has reached a significant part of the world 's population , those living in rural areas of the developing world are still largely disconnected . Recent efforts have provided Internet connectivity to a growing number of remote locations , yet Internet traffic demands cause many of these networks to fail to deliver basic quality of service needed for simple applications . For an in-depth investigation of the problem , we gather and analyze network traces from a rural wireless network in Macha , Zambia . We supplement our analysis with on-site interviews from Macha , Zambia and Dwesa , South Africa , another rural community that hosts a local wireless network . The results reveal that Internet traffic in rural Africa differs significantly from the developed world . We observe dominance of web-based traffic , as opposed to peer-to-peer traffic common in urban areas . Application-wise , online social networks are the most popular , while the majority of bandwidth is consumed by large operating system updates . Our analysis also uncovers numerous network anomalies , such as significant malware traffic . Finally , we find a strong feedback loop between network performance and user behavior . Based on our findings , we conclude with a discussion of new directions in network design that take into account both technical and social factors .
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