The latest data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has revealed that despite rapid growth in global connectivity, 2.2 billion people remain unconnected to the internet. This figure represents roughly a quarter of the global population, with most unconnected individuals living in low- and middle-income countries.
Furthermore, many of those who are considered connected still encounter barriers to meaningful connectivity, including a lack of digital skills, issues of data affordability, inadequate devices and low-quality connectivity (e.g. slow speeds and spotty coverage).These are worrying statistics given that the world is becoming increasingly digital, with essential services – such as government, financial and healthcare services – all rapidly moving online. In a bid to ensure that no-one gets left behind during this digital transformation, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) launched the Connect.post global initiative in 2022. The initiative seeks to address digital divides by transforming all post offices worldwide into digital hubs by 2030.
The Connect.post initiative acknowledges the important role post offices can play in digital inclusion. “The global postal network already serves many disconnected and under-connected people,” says Kevin Hernandez, Digital Inclusion Expert at the UPU. “There are more than 650,000 post offices worldwide, with most of them in rural areas, which happens to be where the most disconnected people live. The focus of Connect.post is therefore leveraging this very extensive network to help connect the less connected.”
The main goal of the project is to connect every post office in the world to the internet by 2030, but as Hernandez explains, that goal is just the starting point for a much bigger initiative. “The project also aims to leverage postal infrastructure to help governments achieve their public policy objectives, through the provision of digital services,” he adds.
According to Hernandez, there are three main types of digital services – e-commerce services to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) participate in cross-border trade; e-government services to ensure that no-one is left behind when physical channels are removed; and digital financial services.
“One thing underpinning all this is that we’re positioning Posts as providers of the services through a multi-channel approach,” Hernandez says. “The Posts’ biggest selling point is their extensive physical network. In each of these 650,000 post offices, there are already post office counters and postal staff. These staff can act as a gateway to digital services for citizens that are less connected and less digitally savvy.
“I believe this is very important because a lot of the digital inclusion narrative focuses on connecting a specific number of people to the internet by a specific time, but it overlooks the barriers that some may still face after they’re connected. They might not know how to access e-government services, for example, or they might not be comfortable navigating digital financial transactions. In these cases, post offices can act in a supporting and advisory role,” he adds.
According to Radka Sibille, Digital Policies and Trade Coordinator at the UPU, Connect.post – and wider digital inclusion projects globally – has gained momentum in recent years as governments try to bridge the digital divides between urban and rural regions, as well as between genders and between countries. “Two big global digital milestones have helped spur this momentum,” she notes. “First is the UN’s Global Digital Compact, which was adopted in 2024 with governments agreeing to intensify efforts on issues like digital connectivity and digital governance with regards to AI.
“The second milestone was last year’s comprehensive review of the UN’s World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), launched 20 years ago to help shape how information and communication technologies are used worldwide in a human-centric way,” Sibille continues. “The UN and other stakeholders review the WSIS document every 10 years. When the document was reviewed 10 years ago, post offices were not mentioned.”
According to Sibille, last year’s review of the WSIS document, however, acknowledged the role that anchor institutions – such as post offices, libraries, hospitals and schools – can play in driving meaningful digital connectivity worldwide. The importance of digital transformation was also among key talking points at the 28th Universal Postal Congress in Dubai in September 2025.
A global panorama
Building on this momentum, the UPU launched its own report: The Postal Sector’s Role in the Digital Economy and Digital Society – A global panorama. The report draws on data from 153 designated postal operators to show how they are already leveraging their extensive physical networks and growing digital capabilities to promote economic, social, financial and digital participation at scale.
Following on from the fourth edition of the report in 2024, the latest version adopted a new approach by shifting from measuring digitalization to highlighting the vital role the postal sector plays in fostering inclusive digital societies and economies. “The report includes 28 great examples from postal operators around the world using their post office networks to get people connected – and not just in industrialized countries,” Sibille adds. “These examples will, in the future, be included in an online case study library, which will be continuously updated with new success stories and projects as and when they happen. We hope this will be a useful resource for countries looking to transform their post offices into digital hubs.”
Building on the momentum from the report, the UPU is now starting to work with Posts around the world, including in Africa and the Caribbean, to help them develop digital capabilities through the Connect.post project. “Now is the time for action,” Sibille affirms.
And that action is taking shape thanks in part to funding from the Japan Fund, which comes from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. “Through this, we are helping connect post offices in 10 countries, including seven small island developing states, with more to come,” explains Hernandez. “Here, we are helping Posts introduce new connectivity infrastructure and services, such as e-commerce support for MSMEs and community Wi-Fi in rural post offices, so that the operators can expand the digital services they’re already offering. For example, we are helping Kyrgyz Post extend 250 digital financial and postal services to more than 150 previously unconnected post offices.”
Most of these projects are in the early stages, according to Hernandez, with specific details still confidential, but what is clear is that they represent just the start of something much bigger. “We hope that these projects, the digital panorama report and the case study library will act as inspiration for other Posts, which can then come to the UPU and work with us to implement digital services,” Hernandez adds.
Digital inclusion in action
While the UPU continues work on its Connect.post initiative, postal operators around the world have also recognized the value their networks can bring to communities for digital inclusion. The digital panorama report highlights several operators leading the way in this area, from countries in both the developed and developing world. La Poste, for example, plays a central role in the France Services initiative, a government programme ensuring that citizens can access essential public services within 20 minutes of home. France Services centres are hosted by various entities, with La Poste operating about 15% of nearly 2,500 sites, especially in rural and remote areas.
Other examples include Pos Indonesia, which has repurposed its more than 4,300 digitally upgraded post offices as a physical front end for financial services delivered with banking and non-banking partners. There is also Poste Italiane’s Polis project, which is a major national initiative to transform Italy’s postal network into digital service hubs and one-stop access points for public administration services.
“I think one of the most prominent examples comes from India, which operates the world’s largest postal network with around 164,000 post offices – 90% of them in rural areas. In 2018, India launched the India Post Payments Bank, reaching more than 100 million customers in less than seven years through a strong multi-channel approach,” explains Hernandez.
“Digital financial services are available via an app, at post office counters, and through delivery staff at customers’ doorsteps. This model has been especially effective in reaching rural populations, particularly women,” he continues. “Postal bank accounts are also used for government benefit transfers, supporting marginalized groups. Beyond finance, the Post integrates e-commerce and e-government services. Meanwhile, Post Office Export Centres help rural MSMEs and artisans navigate complex export procedures through face-to-face support. The Post also supports Aadhaar digital ID enrolment and updates, which is critical for people without smartphones or digital skills.”
Zimpost’s Digital Centres
In Zimbabwe, Zimpost, in collaboration with the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), has established more than 200 Digital Centres in its post offices across the country. These centres, primarily located in rural and marginalized communities, aim to bridge the urban–rural digital divide by providing residents with crucial digital infrastructure and services.
The Digital Centres provide affordable access to computers, the internet and essential services in rural areas. They deliver digital literacy training, enable e-commerce participation and access to online jobs, host banking and telecom services, and support e-government platforms. “Through this integrated model, the Digital Centres have not only reduced connectivity gaps but have also strengthened digital skills, financial inclusion, access to public services and community engagement across Zimbabwe,” says Dr Gift Kallisto Machengete, Director General of POTRAZ.
Dr Machengete explains why Zimpost is well positioned to play a central role in advancing digital inclusion: “Zimpost has one of the widest and most evenly distributed physical networks in Zimbabwe, including deep rural areas where commercial ICT operators have limited presence. This existing infrastructure reduces deployment costs and enables Universal Service Fund (USF) investments to reach communities that would otherwise remain excluded. Post offices and postal agencies are also trusted public institutions, which is important for first-time digital users, the elderly, women, persons with disabilities and rural youth. By leveraging Zimpost’s footprint, POTRAZ can layer digital services onto familiar community spaces, accelerating inclusion without duplicating infrastructure.”
The success of the Digital Centres initiative in Zimbabwe is thanks to a focus on specific community needs, rather than just connectivity. “Services such as printing, scanning, basic computing, internet access and learning platforms are often more immediately valuable to communities than connectivity alone,” explains Dr Machengete. “When initiatives respond to real community demand, including affordability and ease of use, utilization increases and centres become integral to daily community life and promote ownership amongst the community.”
Dr Machengete also believes that success depends on partnerships, affordability, community relevance and strong regulatory oversight. “Digital inclusion initiatives should be designed for long-term impact, not just connectivity. Zimbabwe’s experience shows that when postal networks are combined with USF support, innovation and community engagement, they can play a transformative role in national digital development,” he adds.
Proximity Centres in Uruguay
Over in South America, Uruguay’s postal operator is playing an essential role in digital inclusion through its Centros de Cercanía (Proximity Centres). According to Gabriel Bonfrisco, President of the Board of Directors of Correo Uruguayo, the project was created to tackle “a structural problem in the country: territorial inequality in the access to public services”. For decades, citizens living far from Montevideo – Uruguay’s capital – faced long journeys, added costs and lost time to complete basic administrative procedures.
The Centros de Cercanía were designed to change that by “bringing government services closer to the people, especially in small towns where there are no permanent public offices.” Through partnerships between Correo Uruguayo, town councils and municipalities, existing postal infrastructure has been transformed into decentralized service hubs. Bonfrisco emphasizes that this approach “not only improves territorial equity but also strengthens local economies, prevents unnecessary travel, and reinforces Correo Uruguayo’s role as an instrument for social cohesion”.
The first centre opened in Arévalo in December 2016, and the network has since grown to 66 centres nationwide. Many are in towns with just a few hundred residents, which Bonfrisco says, “demonstrates a clear commitment to democratizing access to government services”. He adds that the steady growth shows the initiative “is not a one-off policy, but a consolidated public strategy”.
Each centre offers more than 100 services, operating as “real counters for citizen services” that combine postal, financial and government procedures in one place. Beyond services, the social impact is tangible. “For thousands of people, the Centros de Cercanía mean not having to travel dozens of kilometres to access essential services,” Bonfrisco explains. He also highlights their role as community hubs where “the government presents itself in a friendly, accessible and trustworthy manner.”
For other postal operators, his advice is to “leverage the postal operator’s extensive territorial reach as a strategic public policy platform.” In Uruguay, that reach is proving that Posts can be powerful drivers of digital inclusion and territorial cohesion.
Challenges remain
Aside from assisting with digital inclusion, connected post offices also help postal operators diversify their revenue streams. “As we all know, in many countries, mail volumes are decreasing and as a result Posts are closing post offices,” Hernandez says. “This is bad news – one of the main strengths of postal operators is their extensive network. Instead, post offices should be developed into one-stop-shop digital hubs, where revenue is diversified, coming from letters, parcels, e-commerce, financial services, e-government services and more, which in turn will bring more foot traffic into the facility. This reduces postal operators’ reliance on mail. Again, India Post offers a great example here. According to the UPU’s official Postal Statistics, India went from having 156,000 post offices in 2022 to now having 164,000.”
Examples such as those in India, Zimbabwe and Uruguay show the real impact postal networks can have in accelerating digital transformation. However, many challenges remain when it comes to transforming post offices into digital hubs, both at a national and international level.
“At a global level, the biggest challenge is a lack of recognition for the Post as a potential enabler of digital inclusion,” says Sibille. Meanwhile, national challenges include legislative and regulatory restrictions, with some Posts not allowed to offer services beyond the sector. Therefore, governmental intervention is needed. “We’re hoping the panorama report will help to convince governments that leveraging the Post for digital inclusion is a good idea,” adds Hernandez.
Another challenge in some countries is a lack of digital skills; training for post office staff is therefore needed in addition to digital infrastructure. The UPU plays a role here by providing digital capacity building under the Connect.post initiative. “The majority of the projects we are working on in the Caribbean, Central Asia and Africa include a training element,” Hernandez continues. “We also offer technical assistance projects where we help countries think through how they can better leverage their postal infrastructure for digital inclusion. We then create digital transformation assessments. This goes well beyond the Posts themselves. We also speak to all relevant stakeholders, such as government, financial, e-commerce, to find out what their priorities are and how they can align with those of the Post.”
Raising the profile of the Post
The Connect.post initiative has shown that post offices can play an important role in digital inclusion. But turning that potential into reality will require faster action, more funding and broader partnerships. “One of the most important aspects is to raise the profile of the Post,” notes Hernandez. “Much of the digital inclusion debate currently focuses on connecting individuals, but post offices and other anchor institutions can ensure their communities are not left behind.”
For Sibille, the challenge is reaching the policymakers who shape national digital strategies. “It’s important for those people to understand the value of the Posts,” she explains. The UPU is addressing this through advocacy and a new joint training course with the ITU Academy aimed at digital policymakers, showcasing case studies from around the world to prove that Posts can deliver results.
Funding also remains a key hurdle. While the Japan Fund has enabled initial projects, Hernandez notes that around 100,000 post offices are still offline. “To meet our 2030 target, we’re going to have to mobilize a lot of resources, and we’re going to have to do it fast.”
Sibille adds that the UPU cannot do it alone: “We are a small agency… We hope the private sector and other stakeholders will step in. Post offices are already part of the digital public infrastructure and can be leveraged for wider digital inclusion,” she concludes.
This article first appeared in Union Postale Winter 2025/2026.