Reasons to join
Your exclusive network
REANNZ's advanced research and education network (known to many as KAREN) is your exclusive broadband network, linking education, research and innovation organisations in New Zealand, and across the world.
It provides high capacity, high performance broadband – many hundreds times faster than a standard internet connection – and with no use based charges. The network reaches across the country between 23 points of presence or 'meet me' points. Our international network extends all the way to Sydney and Los Angeles, connecting us with the rest of the world.
More than 220,000 students, researchers and educators at over 130 New Zealand universities, polytechnics, wananga, schools and government agencies have access to it, as well as scientists at our Crown Research Institutes across the country. Our international network links you to over 200 million advanced network users worldwide.
Snapshot
Watch the short introduction video below or on our YouTube channel for a quick snapshot about the network, including what it is and how our members are using it to benefit their research and education activities.
All you can eat at high quality
Our network is unique because unlike standard networks, ours is unconstrained. This means you can access as much information, tools, people and content as you wish without usage-based charges.
Quality is also a key feature. Our network provides you with reliable, smooth and consistent performance – that you can have confidence in. The network has been designed to provide very low latency and jitter - data travels quickly between points without delay, and the variation in this travel time is tiny.
New Zealand researchers and educators need our network to:
- access digital resources, content and services
- exchange large volumes of data quickly
- gain access to large scale national and international infrastructure
- collaborate better on research and education projects at a distance
Unprecedented reach
Our network is New Zealand's Research and Education (R&E) network. R&E networks have been in existence for decades in over 50 countries around the world.
Our membership of this international mesh of R&E networks means our community can connect through the network to over 200 million researchers, students, teachers and scientists from across the globe quickly and without data charges.
Our members’ research partners can also connect for collaborative research and education purposes.
Design at the leading edge
The network’s design and capabilities are at the leading edge of information and communications technology development. Being at the leading edge means the network is always ahead of the needs of our most adventurous and innovative users.
Data can be transferred through the network at up to 10 gigabits a second (2,500 times the speed of a standard broadband connection) enabling seamless two-way interaction and almost instantaneous sharing of data over long distances.
Members pay a fixed charge for unlimited usage and can do what they like on the network.
The network is also very simple and open in design. It is a big fat pipe providing pure, unadulterated broadband connectivity. This means our members can implement whatever services and tools they wish over the network.