MULTI-DIMENSIONAL INTERNET COVERAGE FOR SUSTAINABLE EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Educational research in tertiary institutions in Delta State, Nigeria, like in some other parts in the world, is hindered by high cost of internet bandwidth and unreliable services of major telecommunications companies, in most areas of the state. A survey was carried out across tertiary institutions in Delta State, which involved researchers in trying to identify challenges associated with internet access for educational research. Problems identified by researchers include poor internet connectivity, quick time-out of access, inconvenience in using hand-held device, absence of wifi devices, non-availability of functional e-libraries, irregular power supply, remoteness from telecommunication masts, non-availability of cabled direct access to internet (bandwidth), and clogging of the internet super-highway by social media users. This paper provided a sustainable solution to the problems of e-research by designing an implementable, affordable logistic-oriented terrain-based infrastructure for enhanced internet connectivity to ease educational research in tertiary institutions.