By:
Nana Appiah Acquaye
Giga,
the joint initiative of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and
UNICEF, showcased its progress and plans for 2026 at the Mobile World Capital
Barcelona stand during MWC26. Established in 2019, Giga aims to connect every
school to the Internet and ensure young people have access to information,
opportunities, and choice.
At
the Giga Technology Centre in Barcelona, the initiative develops open-source
solutions for school connectivity and hosts the Giga Accelerator Programme,
which supports early-stage companies building digital infrastructure solutions.
Giga also advances its Connectivity Credits initiative, which compensates
Internet Service Providers for keeping schools, health centers, and underserved
communities online.
The
session, “Accelerating Impact: The Road Ahead for Giga,” highlighted four core
areas: school mapping, infrastructure modelling and cost analysis, financing,
and contracting, supported by capacity development to strengthen local skills.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of ITU, emphasized the transformative
power of connected schools for inclusion, socio-economic development, and
digital education.
Giga
presented plans for expanding to additional countries, strengthening
partnerships with governments, the UN, and private sector actors, and scaling
connectivity initiatives. Four startups from the Giga Accelerator Programme
pitched open-source solutions for school connectivity, while pilots
implementing Connectivity Credits were also showcased.
Kaan
Centinturk, Chief Information and Digital Impact Officer at UNICEF, stressed
that transparent data and real-time monitoring are key to keeping schools
reliably online. Francesc Fajula, CEO of MWCapital, highlighted the importance
of collaboration between governments, international organizations, companies,
and research centers in advancing digital inclusion.
High-level
representatives from the Government of Spain, the Government of Catalonia, and
Barcelona City Council joined the session alongside Giga leaders and partners
from ITU, UNICEF, the World Bank Group, MTN Group, and other stakeholders,
underscoring the initiative’s growing influence in global school connectivity
efforts.
