Cloudflare’s newly announced partnership with Giga, the UNICEF and ITU initiative, marks a decisive step in addressing one of the most pressing issues of our time: the global digital divide. While billions of children still lack adequate Internet access at home and nearly half of students cannot connect daily at school, this collaboration aims to bring precise, actionable data into the hands of governments and institutions seeking to expand digital inclusion. By integrating Cloudflare’s Speed Test solution into Giga’s data-driven platform, the partnership provides a powerful mechanism to monitor and improve school connectivity in real time. This is not just about speed metrics, but about enabling informed investments in infrastructure that can fundamentally change educational access for millions of children.
The scale of the problem is staggering: 1.3 billion children without reliable Internet at home and countless schools still underserved. The implications are stark—entire generations risk being locked out of digital learning tools, global knowledge networks, and the future employment opportunities that require basic digital literacy. Cloudflare’s ability to run up to 10 million availability tests per month directly from schools means that policymakers, educators, and private sector partners can identify where the bottlenecks lie, whether in affordability, latency, or bandwidth. Just as importantly, these real-time measurements also inform cybersecurity planning, since poorly connected schools often lack the resources to deploy secure, updated systems. A strong connectivity baseline provides the foundation for introducing resilient cybersecurity layers that protect students, teachers, and networks from growing online threats.
From Cloudflare’s perspective, the partnership aligns perfectly with its mission to “help build a better Internet.” With data centers in more than 330 cities worldwide, the company is uniquely positioned to deliver accurate, real-time assessments, minimizing latency and ensuring consistency across diverse geographies. At the same time, Cloudflare’s broader portfolio of cybersecurity tools—from DDoS protection to web application firewalls—complements the connectivity work by helping ensure that once schools are online, they remain safe from malicious activity. For Giga, Cloudflare’s contribution supercharges its Giga Maps platform, which already allows governments to geolocate schools, assess current connectivity, and plan future rollouts. Now, with richer data inputs and the implicit security capabilities of a company steeped in Internet defense, Giga can help nations not only map where connectivity is lacking, but also ensure that connectivity is trustworthy and resilient.
The human element is equally powerful. Matthew Prince of Cloudflare frames this partnership as an investment in the futures of millions of children, emphasizing that Internet access is no longer a luxury but a fundamental requirement to thrive in an increasingly digital world. UNICEF’s Thomas Davin echoes this sentiment, highlighting that connectivity quality matters as much as connectivity itself. Without reliable and secure Internet, children cannot access the modern tools of learning, from virtual classrooms to digital libraries. The precision and transparency Cloudflare’s tools bring into this equation allow governments to act with confidence, ensuring that every dollar invested in connectivity generates measurable impact while safeguarding students against cyber risks.
This partnership demonstrates how technological expertise, when aligned with global humanitarian missions, can accelerate systemic change. Closing the school connectivity gap is not just about laying fiber or installing routers; it is also about embedding cybersecurity into the very fabric of educational infrastructure. Equal access to opportunity depends on both the availability and the safety of connections. With Cloudflare’s global network, cybersecurity expertise, and Giga’s ambitious vision, this collaboration becomes a model for how private companies and international institutions can converge to tackle both the inequities and the vulnerabilities of the digital era.