Assessing Internet Quality in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Countries
by Mykhailo Koltsov , Samuel Chicheportiche , Belen Rodriguez Martinez , Henric HanssonOokla Digital Development
Reliable internet is essential for inclusive public service delivery, enabling digital learning in schools, electronic health systems in clinics, and efficient government services.
The EU4Digital Phase II program—funded by the European Union (EU)—seeks to extend the benefits of the Digital Single Market to the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
Building on the success of Phase I (2019–2022), which laid the foundation for digital transformation through pilots, policy recommendations, and technical assistance, Phase II (2024–2027) aims to scale up these efforts, deepen regional integration, and identify practical pathways to expand access to high-quality digital connectivity.
The World Bank’s Digital Europe and Central Asia unit is supporting this initiative through technical assistance to help EaP countries strengthen digital connectivity and resilience.
Through analytical work assessing infrastructure gaps and investment needs, using Ookla® Speedtest Intelligence data the team can help governments pinpoint where improved internet access and investment demand align with public-service delivery.
The goal is to support governments in mobilizing private investment for broadband infrastructure, improving internet access, quality, and affordability, and ensuring that digital transformation remains inclusive and sustainable.
This blog post delves into why we collaborate with Ookla, the problem their data helps address, and how we use it to inform investment and policy decisions.
Challenge
Reliable and affordable internet connectivity is the foundation of the digital economy. Yet, in many EaP countries, connectivity gaps remain. Key challenges include high network deployment and maintenance costs, and constrained investment, particularly in rural, remote, or conflict-affected areas. These factors, coupled with regulatory bottlenecks, hinder the expansion of robust digital infrastructure and delay progress toward universal high-speed connectivity.
These gaps have real-world consequences: limited access to online education, reduced competitiveness for businesses, and barriers to digital health services.
Despite progress in expanding network coverage, universal access to high-speed internet remains limited, in rural areas. Internet quality and coverage vary widely across and within EaP countries. The rural–urban digital divide continues to limit economic participation and access to essential services. Service quality in certain regions often falls below EU performance benchmarks, restricting opportunities for education, healthcare delivery, job creation and social inclusion.
Discrepancies in data collection and measurement methodologies across countries can also challenge the efforts to design and implement effective policy interventions. Many local authorities rely on survey-based or self-reported data, which may not accurately capture the true quality and usage. The absence of standardized, verifiable data impedes evidence-based policymaking and the ability to monitor progress toward digital inclusion goals.
Solution
To address these challenges, the World Bank through the EU4Digital program has developed a framework for assessing internet quality and coverage across the EaP region. This approach triangulates multiple data sources, combining governmental data (e.g., national statistical offices), data from Ookla Speedtest Intelligence and the Humanitarian Exchange Hub, and international benchmarks such as those from the ITU Data Hub. By merging these datasets, the World Bank team ensures a multi-perspective and evidence-based assessment that captures both user experience and infrastructure realities. These reports will equip governments with actionable insights to enhance existing country data to identify public interventions that reduce broadband costs, stimulate competition, and enable sustainable private-sector investment.
Impact
The improved understanding of internet quality and accessibility across the EaP countries will guide policy reforms and investment decisions aimed at closing the digital divide. By identifying gaps and bottlenecks, the assessment supports governments in:
• Designing targeted incentives that promote broadband expansion. • Implementing regulatory reforms that encourage fair competition. • Mobilizing private capital to diversify international backbone routes and strengthen network resilience; and • Enhancing digital inclusion, ensuring that individuals, businesses, and institutions across the region can participate in and benefit from the digital economy.
Ultimately, this initiative contributes to greater economic resilience, regional integration, and social inclusion. By combining innovative data analysis with strategic policymaking, the World Bank and its partners are helping to build a more connected, competitive, and digitally empowered region.