Recent years have witnessed a massive penetration of cellular systems in developing countries.However, isolated rural areas (sparsely inhabited by low-income population) have been disregarded because classical access and backhaul technologies do not assure the return on investment.This paper presents innovative techno-economical solutions to provide these areas with cellular voice and data services.We first analyze the general characteristics of isolated rural communities, and based on this information, low cost solutions are designed for both access (using 3G access points (AP)) and backhaul networks (using non-carrier grade equipment as WiFi for long distances (WiLD) or WiMAX in non-licensed bands).Subsequently a study of population-dependent income versus costs is presented and a new business model is proposed involving mobile network operators (MNO), rural operators and infrastructure providers.In order to test these solutions, we have built two demonstration platforms in the Peruvian jungle which have allowed validating the technical feasibility of the solution, verifying the business model assumptions and the scalability of the initiative.