base stations to cover the same geographic area. This lowers deployment costs and allows mobile operators broader more affordable rural coverage. Giving people access to internet is high priority for governments. The economic benefits of broadband combined with a range of opportunities to enhance social wellbeing in healthcare, education and all sectors of the economy mean that affordable and equitable access to broadband is a political imperative. Achieving this goal breaks down the rural urban digital divide. 18 Social , educational and cultural value of digital dividend The value of the digital dividend cannot always be expressed in financial terms. The economic value also referred to as private value is the value the end consumers place on the services minus the cost of producing the service. The social, educational and cultural value is a value that is not directly reflected in the value of the service to the consumers. The social, educational and cultural value is also referred to as external value. There are several sources of external value as follows: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • educated citizens sustainable development informed democracy cultural understanding and exchange belonging to a community access and social inclusion quality of life health public services Two services are generally perceived as being the most strongly associated with external value. Television particularly public broadcasting Broadband access in rural areas – like telephony or TV governments are considering more and more broad band access to the internet as crucial in people’s social inclusion and educational development. 17