About the data
The WBA Digital Inclusion Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to advance digital inclusion, tracking how companies are expanding access to digital technologies, improving digital skills and literacy, and ensuring safe and inclusive digital environments for all. The 2026 edition assessed 200 companies across key sectors of the digital economy including telecommunications, software, hardware, and digital platforms. The benchmark is developed in close collaboration with an Expert Review Committee and partners including GRI, ITU, and the Alliance for Affordable Internet, with a methodology designed to incentivise companies to understand where digital exclusion risks are highest and act to bridge the digital divide, while keeping human rights and social impacts at its core.
More information can be found here.
More information can be found here.
Methodology
Digital technology companies can play a critical role in reducing digital inequality and educational disparity, and promote inclusive access to learning. They can make an important contribution to improving school digitalisation as part of a broader commitment to digital skills development and connectivity. This can be done, for example, by promoting access to devices, labs, Internet connection or other connected devices; digital educational technologies; teacher training to integrate digital technologies, etc.
Research Guidance:
The company discloses a programme that actively contributes to providing or improving digitalisation in primary or secondary schools.
The programme must have at least one of the following:
- Provide hardware or digital technology component such as internet connection, routers, satellite or Wi-Fi; digital devices, ICT labs or any physical digital infrastructure.
- Support a school connectivity initiative by sharing relevant data.
- Provide free internet access.
- Provide digital educational technologies that support school digitalisation
- Develop, offer or improve multimedia, educational online resources, educational apps, open education digital resources or platforms.
- Provide access to software.
- Provide training to teachers on the use of digital tools for learning, digital technologies integration in learning, or on skills to teach students to use digital technologies or to develop knowledge and skills for a digital society.
To meet the requirements of this element, the programme must be explicitly designed to serve schools or students. In addition, the company must collaborate with relevant partners—such as NGOs, community groups, government bodies, or other companies—in the implementation or scaling of the programme. To be considered, the programme must have been running in the reporting period of interest of the assessment in question.
One-off donations, funding to grantees, foundation grants are accepted for this element.
Note: programmes from the company‚s Foundation are accepted. If this element is not met, elements c to e can‚t be met.
Research Guidance:
The company discloses a programme that actively contributes to providing or improving digitalisation in primary or secondary schools.
The programme must have at least one of the following:
- Provide hardware or digital technology component such as internet connection, routers, satellite or Wi-Fi; digital devices, ICT labs or any physical digital infrastructure.
- Support a school connectivity initiative by sharing relevant data.
- Provide free internet access.
- Provide digital educational technologies that support school digitalisation
- Develop, offer or improve multimedia, educational online resources, educational apps, open education digital resources or platforms.
- Provide access to software.
- Provide training to teachers on the use of digital tools for learning, digital technologies integration in learning, or on skills to teach students to use digital technologies or to develop knowledge and skills for a digital society.
To meet the requirements of this element, the programme must be explicitly designed to serve schools or students. In addition, the company must collaborate with relevant partners—such as NGOs, community groups, government bodies, or other companies—in the implementation or scaling of the programme. To be considered, the programme must have been running in the reporting period of interest of the assessment in question.
One-off donations, funding to grantees, foundation grants are accepted for this element.
Note: programmes from the company‚s Foundation are accepted. If this element is not met, elements c to e can‚t be met.
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Not Applicable
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report