Cloudflare has announced a partnership with UNICEF’s Giga project to support the measurement and improvement of internet connectivity at schools worldwide.

The collaboration will see Giga, an initiative between UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union, leverage real-time data from Cloudflare’s Speed Test solution. This technology will be used to monitor, assess, and inform strategies aimed at closing significant gaps in global internet access, particularly for educational institutions in underserved communities.

Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion children lack access to the internet at home, and nearly 50 percent of students are unable to use the internet on a daily basis at school. Such digital divides have contributed to ongoing economic and social inequalities, restricting educational and employment prospects for millions of young people.

Through the partnership, Cloudflare will undertake up to 10 million availability tests per month from schools. The data, which will include metrics on internet speed, latency, and affordability, will feed directly into Giga’s open-source platform, Giga Maps. This platform provides governments, civil society, and the private sector with detailed and actionable insights on school connectivity across different regions.

“Cloudflare’s mission is to help build a better Internet, and that means making the Internet more accessible to everyone. Helping UNICEF’s Giga with additional tools to measure and monitor school connectivity all over the world, means we’re helping to ensure that millions of children can get online and prepare for an increasingly digital world. I’m proud of our work helping play a part in that effort, and working to close the digital divide,” said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. 

Describing the significance of improved and monitored connectivity, Thomas Davin, Global Director, UNICEF Office of Innovation, said, “Connecting schools to the Internet is an essential part of ensuring all children can access digital learning tools and the information they need to thrive. Just as critical is ensuring the best quality and speed of connectivity. Cloudflare will ignite even more power in Giga’s data collection and enable the critical decision-making countries need to plan investments in school connectivity with precision. The potential of this partnership is nothing short of exciting.”

Giga Maps enables the geolocation of schools and provides real-time insights into their internet connectivity status. It is designed to assist policymakers and planners in identifying the most effective solutions and financing models for connecting educational establishments. Actionable data from the platform will further support progress tracking as strategies are implemented.

Cloudflare’s global network, which includes data centres in more than 330 cities, will support the partnership by reducing latency and ensuring accurate, up-to-date information on school internet performance. This infrastructure will reinforce Giga’s capability to offer real-time connectivity assessments around the world.

The data collected through Cloudflare’s Speed Test is intended not just for measurement, but also to provide a vital evidence base to advocate for improved internet solutions in areas where they are most needed. This can be used by governments and non-profit organisations to plan and implement targeted investments, helping to address the digital divide faced by disadvantaged communities.

The partnership underlines efforts within both the private and public sectors to support universal internet access for educational purposes. Accurate, real-time data is highlighted as a prerequisite for effective advocacy, investment planning, and progress monitoring towards the goal of connecting every school to the internet.