Connectivity Planning: Seven Steps to Ensure Good Wi-Fi Connection for Public Schools

Meaningful connectivity in schools is essential for technology investments to improve teaching and learning, expand access to education, help students stay in school, and strengthen education management. Achieving this requires addressing two complementary dimensions: (1) ensuring that a sufficiently fast internet connection reaches each school and (2) distributing that connection throughout teaching and learning spaces through a properly designed Wi-Fi network.
This guide draws on more than 50 interviews, a review of over 100 public contracts, and an analysis of experiences in seven Latin American and Caribbean countries. It complements Procuring Connectivity for Public Schools: Pathways and Lessons Learned in Latin America and the Caribbean, a publication focused on the procurement process.

The guide offers a practical roadmap for planning school connectivity, organized into seven steps: (1) assess the starting point; (2) define technical specifications and quality indicators aligned with educational goals; (3) select the most suitable internet access technology for each location; (4) determine the internal infrastructure required; (5) assess the market; (6) identify funding sources and estimate costs; and (7) monitor performance and make adjustments over time. Together, these steps can guide public policy decisions toward high-quality, sustainable school connectivity tailored to the needs of each education system