Geneva, 25 June 2025 – In an era where digital innovation is rapidly reshaping societies across the globe, one initiative stands out for its bold vision and tangible impact: Giga, a collaborative project between the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UNICEF, has officially opened its Giga Connectivity Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. This marks a pivotal moment in the global mission to connect every school worldwide to the Internet by 2030, unlocking unprecedented educational opportunities for children in all regions. The inauguration of the Centre signals a strategic consolidation of resources, knowledge, and expertise in a dedicated hub aimed at accelerating school connectivity through innovation, partnership, and technical excellence.
Situated within the renowned Campus Biotech—a locus for cutting-edge scientific research and technological development—the Giga Connectivity Centre is designed not merely as an administrative headquarters but as a vibrant ecosystem for collaboration. It brings together key stakeholders from governments, the private sector, international organizations, and civil society, nurturing synergies essential for overcoming the complex challenges of digital inclusion. This environment fosters the exchange of innovative solutions and policy frameworks that collectively aim to bridge the persistent digital divide affecting millions of students worldwide.
Connectivity, as articulated by ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin during the opening, goes far beyond simple Internet access. It constitutes a portal to opportunity—enabling equitable access to information, educational content, and digital tools tailored to diverse learning environments. By anchoring the Giga initiative in Geneva, a city famed for diplomacy and international cooperation, ITU and UNICEF are leveraging the unique geographical and intellectual ecosystem to propel global digital transformation in education.
The technical ambitions of the Centre are manifold, encompassing advanced school mapping techniques that employ satellite imagery, geospatial data analysis, and machine learning algorithms to identify connectivity gaps. These methodologies enable precise infrastructure modelling, allowing governments and partners to visualize optimal network deployment strategies while minimizing costs and maximizing impact. The confluence of data-driven decision-making and localized insights empowers policymakers to tailor connectivity solutions that align with regional topographies, socio-economic conditions, and existing infrastructure.
A core function of the facility is to provide comprehensive support to countries, particularly in procurement processes and financing mobilization. Navigating the complexities of international tendering, supply chain management, and funding mechanisms requires detailed expertise—skills that the Giga Connectivity Centre systematically develops and shares with participating nations. Such support not only accelerates project execution but also ensures transparency, scalability, and sustainability in connectivity initiatives.
Embedded within the Centre is the Giga Learning Hub, a state-of-the-art training platform delivered through the ITU Academy. This hub offers specialized courses focused on critical aspects of school connectivity projects, including efficient procurement strategies, innovative financing models such as public-private partnerships and results-based financing, and robust project management practices tailored to the digital infrastructure domain. By equipping government officials, project managers, and technical personnel with cutting-edge knowledge, the learning hub invigorates capacity building that is essential for enduring success.
Complementing the Geneva Centre is the Giga Technology Centre located in Barcelona, Spain, which operates as the innovation powerhouse for the development of open-source technological solutions. These tools harness the latest advances in cloud computing, network optimization, and user-centric application design to deliver affordable, scalable, and sustainable connectivity solutions. The synergy between the two Centers—one focusing on strategy and policy, the other on technology development—creates a comprehensive framework driving Giga’s mission forward.
Looking ahead, the Giga Connectivity Forum 2025, scheduled for 8 to 10 July at the Geneva Centre, is poised to serve as a landmark gathering for over 100 high-level participants from 44 countries. These include government officials, regulators, development partners, and technical experts who will come together to share progress, exchange best practices, and formulate strategies to accelerate digital inclusion in schools globally. The forum emphasizes multi-stakeholder collaboration, recognizing that overcoming infrastructural, regulatory, and financial barriers demands coordinated and innovative approaches.
This year’s forum will also feature the WSIS Ministerial Session titled “The Digital Imperative: The Critical Role of School Connectivity,” underscoring the urgency with which policymakers must act to embed connectivity as a foundational pillar of education systems. Given the cascading effects of digital inequity—spanning reduced educational outcomes, socioeconomic disparity, and hindered innovation—connecting schools is increasingly recognized as a strategic investment with profound societal returns.
The Giga initiative’s strategic framework is set against a sobering backdrop: more than 2.6 billion people globally remain offline, with a significant proportion of these individuals being students attending unconnected schools. This digital exclusion magnifies existing inequalities and curtails access to quality education, particularly in underserved and remote areas. Giga’s comprehensive methodology leverages state-of-the-art mapping and infrastructure modelling combined with policy advisory services, enabling countries to design, finance, and implement scalable connectivity programs systematically.
International support for Giga underscores its global relevance and credibility. The governments of Switzerland and Spain provide foundational backing, complemented by key contributions from global technology leaders such as Ericsson, Dell, and IHS Towers. These partnerships are vital in mobilizing technological expertise, financial resources, and innovative business models that facilitate affordable connectivity solutions tailored for diverse environments and contexts.
Operated under the auspices of the ITU—the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies—Giga benefits from a historical mandate to coordinate global telecommunications standards, spectrum management, and digital development. ITU’s extensive membership, comprising 194 countries and over a thousand sector members, amplifies Giga’s reach, fostering multi-level cooperation and enabling the harmonization of regulatory frameworks critical to the deployment of school connectivity infrastructure worldwide.
By placing a dedicated Connectivity Centre in the heart of Geneva, Giga embodies the convergence of technological capability, policy innovation, and international cooperation. This initiative not only demonstrates a technical roadmap toward universal school connectivity but also charts a transformative vision where digital empowerment is recognized as a fundamental right and a catalyst for sustainable development. The commitment to connect every school signals an inflection point in global education and digital equity, propelling societies toward a future where no child is left behind in the digital revolution.
Subject of Research: Global school connectivity and digital inclusion initiatives
Article Title: Giga Launches Geneva Connectivity Centre to Power Global School Internet Access by 2030
News Publication Date: 25 June 2025
Web References:
– https://giga.global/
– https://academy.itu.int/
– https://giga.global/giga-connectivity-forum/
– https://www.flickr.com/photos/itupictures/albums/72177720326989805
– http://www.itu.int
Image Credits: Official inauguration photos available at the ITU Flickr repository linked above
Keywords: Technology, Education, Students, Internet, Artificial intelligence
