Numerous factors have shown Internet-based technology to be a key enabler in achieving
the sustainable development goals (SDG), as well as narrowing the divide between the global north
and south. For instance, smart farming, remote/online learning, and smart grids can be used to,
respectively, address SDGs 1 and 2 (ending poverty and hunger), 3 (quality education), and 7 and 9
(energy and infrastructure development). Though such Internet-based solutions are commonplace in
the global north, they are missing or sparsely available in global south countries. This is due to several
factors including underdevelopment, which dissuades service providers from investing heavily in
infrastructure for providing capable Internet solutions such as 5G networks in these regions. This
paper presents a study conducted to evaluate the feasibility of deploying 5G networks in the rural
dwellings of South Africa at affordable rates, which would then serve as a pre-cursor for deploying
solutions to improve lives and achieve the SDGs.