{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T07:13:02Z","timestamp":1780384382232,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":116,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,1]],"date-time":"2021-12-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1638316800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Access to broadband communications in different parts of the world has become a priority for some governments and regulatory authorities around the world in recent years. Building new digital roads and pursuing a connected society includes looking for easier access to the internet. In general, not all areas where people congregate are fully covered, especially in rural zones, thus restricting access to data communications and inducing inequality. In the present review article, we have comprehensively surveyed the use of three platforms to deliver broadband services to such remote and low-income areas, and they are proposed as follows: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), altitude platforms (AP), and low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. These novel strategies support the connected and accessible world hypothesis. Hence, UAVs are considered a noteworthy solution since their efficient maneuverability can solve rural coverage issues or not-spots.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s21238037","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,2]],"date-time":"2021-12-02T02:56:14Z","timestamp":1638413774000},"page":"8037","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":28,"title":["Closing Connectivity Gap: An Overview of Mobile Coverage Solutions for Not-Spots in Rural Zones"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5956-3962","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diego Fernando","family":"Cabrera-Castellanos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering and Science, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Epigmenio Gonz\u00e1lez 500, Quer\u00e9taro 76130, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3098-7275","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alejandro","family":"Arag\u00f3n-Zavala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering and Science, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Epigmenio Gonz\u00e1lez 500, Quer\u00e9taro 76130, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5208-5745","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gerardo","family":"Casta\u00f1\u00f3n-\u00c1vila","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering and Science, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey 64849, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kim, H., Kim, Y., Park, P., Ahn, S., Jo, J., Park, S., and Park, C. 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