About 2.7 billion people are still offline. That’s nearly one-third of the global population without access to a tool that enables people to access education, find work, run businesses, connect with public services, and stay in touch with friends and family.
While large-scale efforts by governments, the private sector, and multilateral institutions have extended connectivity to most of the world, these approaches are not enough. The pace of Internet adoption is slowing, and in many rural, remote, or underserved communities, the economic models that drive traditional expansion don’t work.
Connectivity gaps persist not only because of infrastructure or technology but also because of structural barriers like affordability, digital literacy, and relevance. Addressing these gaps means recognizing that the Internet does not reach everyone the same way and that the people who remain unconnected are often those who are systematically excluded in other ways. These are the cases community-centered connectivity solutions are made for.
What Is Community-Centered Connectivity?
Community-centered connectivity is when connectivity solutions are built for, with, or by local communities themselves. These solutions are not imposed from outside, but instead designed with direct involvement from the people who will use and maintain them. They often emerge in places where other models have failed or are not viable.
These solutions include community networks, cooperatives, Indigenous-led connectivity projects, and many other models. They rely on local governance, use affordable and appropriate technology, and are sustained through flexible models that reflect community priorities.
Solutions that are centered around communities focus on the needs of the people they serve and rely on local leadership, which helps address three major challenges that contribute to the digital divide:
Availability: They bring infrastructure to places where none exists.
Affordability: They are designed to be low-cost and community-funded.
Adoption: They build trust, relevance, and local skills.
In this way, community-centered connectivity does more than provide access: it also makes it meaningful.
Is Community-Centered Connectivity the Only Way to Connect the Unconnected?
In many parts of the world, the task of expanding access has traditionally fallen to commercial Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and mobile operators. These providers have built and maintained the networks that connect much of the global population, especially in urban and densely populated areas. But in places where the return on investment is low, connectivity often does not reach.
To fill these gaps, different approaches have emerged: public-private partnerships, universal service funds, satellite-based coverage, and infrastructure-sharing agreements. These efforts are important and will continue to play a role.
But they are not enough, and this is where community-centered connectivity comes in.
The People Who Need It the Most
The communities most affected by the digital divide are also among the most marginalized. Women, Indigenous peoples, and displaced populations often face unique barriers to connectivity. Without tailored solutions, these barriers will persist.
Displaced Populations
Displaced people—including refugees, migrants, and those affected by conflict or climate—often live in areas with limited infrastructure, unclear legal status, and short-term planning horizons. Connectivity is a critical tool for safety, education, access to services, and maintaining ties with family and community. Yet many connectivity efforts in displacement settings are fragmented or temporary.
Community-centered models offer a way to build durable and sustainable solutions by involving displaced communities directly in designing and managing networks that meet their needs.
Women
Globally, women are less likely than men to have access to the Internet. In many places, this gap is wide, especially in rural and low-income areas. Barriers include affordability, social norms, and limited access to education and digital skills.
Supporting women-led social enterprises in the connectivity space creates new pathways to inclusion. These organizations are already playing a key role in building networks, offering training, and creating safe and relevant online spaces. Strengthening their capacity helps address the gender gap while expanding access more broadly.
We’ve seen this happen within projects the Internet Society supported. In the small village of Lasebella, Balochistan—a remote area of Pakistan—a community network led by the Welfare Association for New Generation is supporting women to find quality education and job opportunities. Women like Hafsa Qadir, who started her own podcast to discuss gender issues, and many others who work in mother-daughter combos in the community center to weave clothes and sell them online, have benefited from the network.
Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous communities often live in geographically isolated areas, where connectivity is sparse or absent. Even where networks are available, many Indigenous peoples face exclusion due to language, lack of content relevant to their culture, or limited support for self-determined governance.
For Indigenous communities, connectivity is not only a tool for access—it is part of a broader effort to preserve language, support education, and maintain cultural continuity. Indigenous-led broadband initiatives have shown how community-centered connectivity solutions can align with values of sovereignty, sustainability, and community control.
In the Chaco region of South America, a group of women of the Nivaclé people work every day sorting carob fruit to produce the flour they sell to maintain their livelihoods. Once dependent on intermediaries to reach distant markets, they now post their goods on social media and take online orders directly from cafés and shops in Paraguay’s capital city of Asunción. This transformation, led by their own plans and a local Indigenous women’s association, began with connectivity.
Community-Centered Connectivity at the Internet Society
The Internet Society has supported community networks for over a decade. Now, we are expanding this work to take a broader, community-centered approach.
We do this in four main ways:
1. Capacity and Training
We support communities with the tools, training, and resources they need to design, deploy, and sustain their own connectivity solutions. This includes courses, toolkits, and tailored support for technical, business, and governance skills.
2. Funding and Investment
We provide funding through programs like Connecting the Unconnected and are working to build new partnerships and co-investment models. This includes working with social entrepreneurs, Indigenous leaders, and refugee organizations to bring new solutions to scale.
3. Policy and Advocacy
We engage with policymakers to create an enabling environment for community-centered connectivity solutions—advocating for changes in licensing, spectrum access, and financing. We promote inclusive policies that recognize the value of community-led models.
4. Partnerships
We work with local partners, global organizations, and Internet Society chapters to connect people with the resources and support they need. No one connects alone—partnerships are key to success.
Community-centered connectivity is not just a technical solution. It is a way of addressing exclusion, enabling participation, and building the Internet from the ground up. It ensures that the people who are currently offline are not just passive users, but active creators of their own digital futures. Learn more about our work to connect the unconnected.
Image © Elyse Butler, © José Elizeche