About KAREN

KAREN provides lightning fast, unrestricted broadband for the New Zealand education, research and innovation communities.


KAREN 101 - an introduction

This presentation provides an introduction to KAREN - why KAREN exists and how our members are using the network to accelerate their research and education activities. Narrated by Bill Choquette. You can download a PDF of the KAREN 101 presentation with helpful explanatory notes from our Presentations page. For further YouTube videos from us, visit our KARENmedia Channel.


KAREN in a nutshell

The Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN) is your exclusive broadband network, linking education, research and innovation organisations in New Zealand, and across the world.

KAREN provides super fast, unrestricted broadband – many hundreds times faster than a standard internet connection – and with no use based charges. The network reaches across the country between 16 points of presence or 'meet me' points. Our international network extends all the way to Sydney and Seattle, connecting us with the rest of the world.

More than 220,000 students, researchers and educators at over 90 New Zealand universities, polytechnics, schools and government agencies have access to KAREN, 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.


All you can eat at high quality

KAREN is unique because unlike standard networks KAREN 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. KAREN 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 - KAREN travels quickly between points without delay, and the variation in this travel time is tiny.

New Zealand researchers and educators need KAREN 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

KAREN 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 KAREN 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 to KAREN for collaborative research and education purposes.


The nuts and bolts

KAREN’s design and capabilities are at the leading edge of information and communications technology development. Being at the leading edge means KAREN is always ahead of the needs of our most adventurous and innovative users.

Data can be transferred through KAREN 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.

KAREN is also very simple and open in design. KAREN 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.


Related information

 

Updated 15 June 2010