Prysmian Partners with UNICEF's Giga to Expand School Connectivity

Prysmian announced today a partnership with Giga, the joint initiative of UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) aimed to ensure to every young person the access to information, opportunities, and choices. Through this initiative, UNICEF’s mission is to support Governments in connecting every school to the Internet by 2030.

Around half of the world’s schools, over 2.5 million, remain offline, leaving approximately 500 million children1 without access to digital learning, a gap that narrows their education today and their opportunities for life. Through this partnership, Prysmian will directly support school connectivity in Mexico by supporting Giga’s Connectivity Credits model committed to expand access in underserved communities. As part of this approach, local internet providers receive credits for each school they connect, enabling them to expand their networks while delivering connectivity where it is most needed.

A scalable model with lasting impact

In Mexico, connectivity is a challenge: 75% of the country's 245,000 schools don't have internet, the majority of which are in small towns. The Connectivity Credits model changes the approach. Local internet providers earn credits for each school they connect, gaining extra backhaul capacity they can resell to grow their business, making school connectivity both impactful and sustainable. Prysmian will support a one-year pilot to connect 75 schools with high-speed internet, benefiting not only students but entire communities. The model can reach over ten times more schools than traditional procurement and once in place, it becomes self-sustaining.

Maria Cristina Bifulco, Chief Strategy Officer at Prysmian said: “Connectivity is essential to unlocking opportunity. Supporting Giga means helping ensure that more children can get online, access quality education and prepare for an increasingly digital future. We are proud to contribute to solutions that can scale and make a lasting impact in closing the digital divide.”

Nicola Graziano, President of UNICEF Italy, said: “Today we live in an increasingly connected world. Lack of access to the internet and digital services not only leaves children behind, but also limits their future, isolates them from the world, and robs them of opportunities. We thank Prysmian for standing by our side and giving so many children and adolescents the chance to connect and develop new skills.”

Driving long-term progress

Connecting children to the internet enhances their education, leads to better outcomes for their health, gender equality and prospects for the future. By increasing school connectivity, we can generate significant, long-term benefits for children.

Christopher Fabian, Co-founder and Lead (UNICEF) Giga, said: “The model works because incentives are built in, as a marketplace. Providers earn credits for each school they connect, so their businesses will grow. Prysmian's backing lets us onboard more users and scale connectivity for all.”

With only a few years left to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, this collaboration represents a concrete step toward closing the global digital divide and expanding access to education and opportunity.