Giga (UNICEF-ITU) helped Kyrgyzstan build a real-time map of internet connectivity at all 2,137 public schools. The transparent data let the Ministry of Education renegotiate ISP contracts, cutting connectivity costs by up to 43% and raising school connectivity from 68% to 84%.
2,137 schools
Public schools covered by connectivity map (2019-2023)
Share of public schools with internet access (2019-2023)
30 countries
Countries Giga expanded to (by November 2023)
Details
Maturity
Established
Promoter
Government of the Kyrgyz Republic (Ministry of Education and Science) with UNICEF and ITU (Giga initiative)
Period
2019–2023
Keywords
school connectivity, open data, e-government, education infrastructure
Context
Giga, a joint UNICEF-ITU initiative launched in 2019 to map and close the global school-connectivity gap, partnered with Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Education and Science as one of its earliest countries.
Objectives
The goal was to make school-level internet connectivity visible in real time so the government could identify gaps and negotiate better internet-service terms.
Activities
Giga built a real-time public map showing the connectivity status of all 2,137 Kyrgyz public schools; the Ministry used this transparent data as leverage to renegotiate internet service provider (ISP) contracts.
Results
ITU reports connectivity spending fell by up to 43% (about USD 250,000/year); UNICEF's Office of Innovation separately reports about 40% savings (~USD 200,000/year), average monthly prices falling from ~USD 50 to ~USD 28.50, typical bandwidth nearly doubling from 2 to 4 Mbps, and the share of schools with internet rising from 68% to 84%.
Conclusions
ITU cites Kyrgyzstan's results as part of the evidence base for expanding Giga to 30 countries by November 2023, but roughly one in six schools -- mostly in the hardest-to-reach rural areas -- remained unconnected, showing that data-driven renegotiation addresses affordability faster than the last-mile infrastructure gap.
Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — Costs not itemised in source beyond connectivity contract savings (~USD 200,000-250,000/year); platform development cost not disclosed.
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years) — Mapping and renegotiation implemented 2019-2023, covering all 2,137 public schools nationwide.
Staffing & skills
Ministry of Education and Science (Kyrgyz Republic) staff, Giga initiative technical team (UNICEF-ITU)
Conditions for success
Government willingness to make school-level connectivity and contract data transparent
Existing baseline school-level connectivity data to map
An ISP market with room for contract renegotiation
Common failure modes
Last-mile infrastructure gaps in remote rural schools persist despite cost renegotiation (about one in six schools remained unconnected)
Where it fits
Governance type
national government (Ministry of Education) with international agency partners
Scale
national (2,137 public schools)
Income level
lower-middle-income
Do you run this practice?
Claim it —
verified implementers get a public contact pathway and can propose corrections.
Data sources
Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.
