Shaped by the community
People take part in the vision, the deployment and the day-to-day running — at different depths, but always with a voice.
Community-centred connectivity
Connectivity shaped by the communities it serves.
A shared, open directory of community-centred connectivity initiatives across the global South — who they are, where they work and what they offer — so they can find each other, learn from each other and be seen.
Built by Colnodo with the Association for Progressive Communications
428 initiatives · 43 countriesLive from the directory
Drag to rotate. Initiatives are placed by country — exact locations stay private.Browse initiatives by country
- India175
- Vanuatu30
- Papua New Guinea27
- Kenya24
- Uganda21
- Indonesia17
- Brazil15
- South Africa14
- Mexico11
- Solomon Islands10
- Philippines8
- Nepal7
- Nigeria7
- Cook Islands6
- Federated States of Micronesia5
- Peru5
- Colombia3
- DRC3
- Ghana3
- Kiribati3
- Tanzania3
- USA3
- Argentina2
- China2
- Gabon2
- Malawi2
- Pakistan2
- Zambia2
- Bangladesh1
- Burkina Faso1
- Central African Republic1
- Chad1
- Croatia1
- France1
- Greece1
- Malaysia1
- Morocco1
- Namibia1
- Somalia1
- Spain1
- Thailand1
- Timor-Leste1
- Zimbabwe1
428initiatives in the register
43countries across Africa, Asia–Pacific and Latin America
236run digital literacy training
261are active today
What is a CCCI
Not just a network. A community deciding how it connects.
Community-centred connectivity initiatives — CCCIs — bring internet access and local services to places that commercial operators and public programmes have left behind: remote villages, islands, informal settlements, Indigenous territories.
What makes them different is who decides. APC describes it as connectivity “shaped by the community itself” — even when the community doesn’t build or run every piece of the infrastructure.
Complementary, not competing
They work alongside commercial providers and public access programmes, reaching people and places those models don’t.
Driven by a social mission
Whatever the legal or business model, the goal is the same: the well-being of communities that are unserved or underserved.
A sliding scale, not a single model
After APC · LocNetCommunity-oriented servicesA social business or NGO offers selected services with limited participation.
Community-owned and governedThe community’s vision, needs and values run the operation — and the benefits stay local.
Why they matter
When a community connects on its own terms, more than the signal changes.
Findings from APC’s research with initiatives in Asia and the Pacific, echoing earlier studies in Africa and Latin America.
Social
- Community centres become safe places to meet, learn together and discuss local matters.
- Access to government services that were out of reach — and a channel to hold government to account.
- Indigenous communities create and share content in their own languages and traditions.
- Faster coordination and emergency response during disasters.
Economic
- Local producers sell online and reach new markets; locally made content brings tourism.
- New income streams: coin-operated Wi-Fi, vouchers, printing services.
- Affordable prices push nearby operators to lower theirs.
Environmental
- Sustainable agriculture practices learned and shared online.
- Low-cost sensors monitoring crops, water distribution and local conditions.
- Networks powered by renewable energy.
Source: Understanding community-centred connectivity initiatives in Asia and the Pacific, APC.
13 principles
What makes an initiative community-centred.
Developed with initiatives across the global South through LocNet, run by APC and Rhizomatica. Some are essential to any CCCI; others are reached over time.
EssentialBuilt over time
- 01Essential
Addresses community needs
Infrastructure and services that respond to what the community actually needs and wants.
- 02Essential
Participatory
The community shapes the vision, the deployment, the operation and the use.
- 03Essential
Support
Works with outside partners in ways that strengthen, not replace, local autonomy.
- 04Essential
Well-being
Improves people’s lives — especially those structurally marginalised.
- 05
Human rights
Enables communication rights and related rights such as education and health care.
- 06
Gender
Understands gender power dynamics and brings women into governance and use.
- 07
Local culture
Sustains local languages, traditions and content, inclusively and accessibly.
- 08
Environmentally aware
Cares for the environment and biodiversity of the territory.
- 09
Safety
Protects users most at risk from online and tech-facilitated harm.
- 10
Sustainability
Sustains its operations in step with local economic practices and values.
- 11
Capacity building
Builds local technical skills and the digital capacity of users.
- 12
Ownership
Strives for community ownership through open, inclusive governance.
Principle 13 · Connected to others
Every initiative is part of something bigger. This platform is where that becomes visible.
CCCIs grow stronger by sharing experience across borders. The CCCI Platform gathers them in one open register, so initiatives, researchers, funders and policy makers can see the whole ecosystem — and act together.
What they offer
Internet access is where it starts.
Most initiatives go further: training, local services, support for people taking their first steps online, a place to charge a phone.
Services reported by the 334 initiatives in the directory that shared this information.
The directory
Meet the initiatives.
From a fishing village hub in Uganda to an Indigenous mobile operator in Mexico. Browse by region, country or status.
- Wiki Katat Operador Móvil Virtual indígena Social y Comunitario. (Ven, Ven en nahuatl y totonaku)Mexico · Latin America & CaribbeanActive
- Kashojwa Fishing Village HubUganda · AfricaActive
- 1 Waiwoi FallsPapua New Guinea · Asia–PacificActive
- Fantsuam / ZittNetNigeria · AfricaActive
- Rede Comunitária Ribeirão Grande/Terra SecaBrazil · Latin America & CaribbeanActive
- Kabazana Womens Center HubUganda · AfricaActive
Get involved
A register is only as alive as the people who keep it.
The directory gets better every time someone who knows an initiative updates it. Help keep it accurate, complete and useful.
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