National research and education network

A national research and education network (NREN) is a specialised internet service provider dedicated to supporting the needs of the research and education communities within a country.

It is usually distinguished by support for a high-speed backbone network, often offering dedicated channels for individual research projects.

In recent years, with the widespread availability of high-speed internet services, their importance has diminished, although many NRENs have expanded their remit of services to include areas such as trust and identity, security, automation, and cloud offerings.