What Merit Network does

Merit Network, Inc. is a Michigan-based, member-owned nonprofit founded in 1966 that operates a 4,000-mile owned fiber backbone serving 170+ communities across the state. Its core constituency is the Michigan public sector — universities, K-12 schools, state and local government, healthcare systems, public libraries, and nonprofits — for whom Merit provides high-capacity transport, internet connectivity, and managed network services. The organization is headquartered in Ann Arbor and led by President and CEO Joseph Sawasky.

Merit's technical portfolio spans fiber transport (including middle-mile builds such as the $10.5M MOON-Light project with Michigan State University and the Beaver Island extension), managed security services, professional and consulting services, and software licensing resale (Cloudflare, DUO, Veeam, Juniper). Above the connectivity layer, Merit operates three distinctive technology assets: RADb, described as the world's largest public routing registry; NDNT, a network telescope that has accumulated roughly 20 years of darknet traffic data; and CLASSNET, a community-driven labeled dataset platform. The organization has invested more than $50 million cumulatively in research and development and produces peer-validated research output, including a USENIX Distinguished Paper on VPN fingerprinting.

Merit's revenue mechanics combine member dues and subscription fees, project-based federal grants (USDA, NTIA, NSF), managed services contracts, and reseller margins on third-party software. Federal grants have been a particularly active funding vector, with awards exceeding $23 million between 2022 and 2025 across middle-mile buildouts, rural broadband, and IPv6 research. Member-owned governance, an MCAP purchasing consortium, and active Communities of Practice deepen ecosystem stickiness, while geographic concentration in Michigan remains the principal structural exposure.

Name

Merit Network

Legal name

Merit Network, Inc.

Website

https://merit.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Merit Network is a Michigan-based nonprofit founded in 1966 that operates a 4,000-mile fiber backbone delivering connectivity, managed security, and broadband technical assistance to education, government, healthcare, library, and nonprofit organizations across 170+ Michigan communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research and Education Network Services

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Network Backbone & Core IP Transport (Long-Haul/Metro IP) (HDAIAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) & Peering Services (HDABALAC), API Security & Service-to-Service Security (mTLS, Service Mesh Security) (HDABAHAN)

Keywords

• Nonprofit network services
• Fiber backbone infrastructure
• Managed network security
• Research and education networking
• Broadband technical assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership and Service Subscriptions: Recurring membership and service fees from Michigan-based nonprofit Members (education, government, healthcare, libraries, nonprofits) for Internet, WAN management, VoIP (Merit Voice), lit Ethernet/wavelength circuits, Dark Wave, peering/caching, colocation, and RADb.
2. Managed Security Services: Recurring managed services for DDoS protection, managed firewall, CISO Scanner, Security Operations Center (SOC), and security incident response under Merit Member agreements.
3. Network Engineering and Consulting Fees: Fee-based consulting and engineering services including non-standard packet filter installation ($100/month plus $75/hour consulting fees) and infrastructure planning professional services.
4. Software Licensing Resale: Resale of third-party software licenses under the Quilt/Carahsoft contract, including Cloudflare, DUO Advantage, Veeam Software, and Juniper Networks, offered to Merit's Member community.
5. Broadband Technical Assistance Services: Project-based consulting engagements with municipalities and organizations for infrastructure planning, GIS and data services, digital readiness, workforce upskilling, and strategic consulting.
6. Federal Grant Funding (USDA): Non-dilutive grant funding from the USDA, including a $997,000 grant (Feb 2024) and an $831,865 grant (April 2025), supporting rural broadband expansion, digital equity planning, and digital skills programs across Michigan communities.
7. Federal Broadband Infrastructure Grants: Federal grant funding for the MOON-Light middle-mile broadband infrastructure program jointly operated with Michigan State University (e.g., $10.5 million federal grant in 2022).
8. Philanthropic and Community Funding: Mission-aligned funding from partners such as the Rocket Community Fund to support digital inclusion initiatives (e.g., Detroit eduroam expansion).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion6 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Merit Network delivers networking, security, and professional services to Michigan-based nonprofit member organizations over a 4,000-mile owned fiber backbone. Its core offering bundles Internet connectivity, WAN management, lit Ethernet/wavelength circuits, colocation, VoIP (Merit Voice), peering and caching, and the RADb routing registry, alongside managed security (DDoS protection, managed firewall, CISO Scanner, SOC), broadband technical assistance, and resold third-party software licenses to education, government, healthcare, library, and nonprofit members.

Product overview

Merit Network delivers a platform-plus-modules architecture built around a 100% Michigan-based nonprofit regional network operator serving education, government, healthcare, libraries, and nonprofits since 1966. The core networking platform comprises Internet connectivity, WAN Management, Merit Voice, Merit Mobile (performance management dashboard), LIT Ethernet/Wavelength Circuits, MOON-Light (middle-mile broadband infrastructure), Dark Wave, Peering & Caching, Colocation, and the RADb Internet Routing Registry. The Security module adds DDoS Protection Services, Managed Firewall, CISO Scanner, and the Security Operations Center (SOC). Professional Services span Infrastructure Planning, Outside Plant, Network Engineering, Network Security, GIS & Data Analytics, Cyber Education & Training, and Community CISO. Research and active projects include the ORION Network Telescope, National Distributed Network Telescope (NDNT), Project Compass, Refraction Networking, CLASSNET, IRIS, and HORUS, alongside the IPv6 Journey initiative. Community initiatives span eduroam, Broadband Technical Assistance, Michigan Moonshot, the Digital Opportunity Enablement Map (DOEM), and Workforce Development. A Licensing portfolio resells third-party solutions (Cloudflare, DUO Advantage, Veeam Software, Juniper Networks) to members through The Quilt/Carahsoft Government-wide IT Solutions Contract Vehicle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MOON-Light: Middle-mile fiber-optic broadband infrastructure initiative in Michigan.
• Merit RADb
• Merit Voice
• Dark Wave
• Michigan Moonshot
• Project Compass
• DOEM (Digital Opportunity Enablement Map)

Products and services

• Internet Dedicated and shared Internet connectivity delivered over Merit's high-speed Michigan fiber backbone to member organizations across education, government, healthcare, libraries, and nonprofits.
• WAN Management Managed wide-area network services that connect geographically distributed member sites with monitoring, optimization, and operational support.
• Merit Voice Cloud-based VoIP telephone service providing voice communications for member organizations over Merit's network.
• LIT Ethernet / Wavelength Circuits High-capacity Ethernet and wavelength-division multiplexing transport services delivered over Merit's fiber infrastructure for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connectivity.
• MOON-Light Michigan Open Optical Network - Light (MOON-Light) middle-mile broadband infrastructure program extending open-access fiber to underserved areas of Michigan, funded in part by a $10.5M federal award in 2022.
• Dark Wave Dark (unlit) fiber and alien spectrum wavelength service allowing organizations to light and operate their own optical networking equipment over Merit's fiber footprint.
• Peering & Caching Network peering and content caching services that improve performance and reduce upstream transit costs for member organizations.
• Colocation
• RADb Internet Routing Registry Public routing registry operated by Merit, described as the world's largest public registry of Internet data, used by network operators worldwide to publish and query routing policy information.
• DDoS Protection Services Distributed denial-of-service attack detection and mitigation services protecting member networks from volumetric and application-layer attacks.
• Managed Firewall Managed firewall service providing perimeter security with policy management and ongoing monitoring for member organizations.
• CISO Scanner External attack-surface and security posture scanning service that helps member organizations identify exposures and configuration issues.
• Security Operations Center (SOC) Security operations center providing monitoring, alerting, and incident response capabilities for member environments.
• Infrastructure Planning Consulting services for designing network and IT infrastructure architectures for member and community projects.
• Outside Plant Outside-plant engineering services covering fiber route planning, permitting, and construction oversight for fiber builds.
• Network Engineering Network design, implementation, and operations engineering services supporting member and partner environments.
• Network Security Security architecture, hardening, and incident-response consulting services for member organizations.
• GIS & Data Analytics Geographic information systems and data analytics services for infrastructure planning and member insights, including broadband mapping.
• Cyber Education & Training Cybersecurity awareness, education, and training programs delivered to member organizations and the broader community.
• Community CISO Shared chief information security officer service providing executive security leadership and advisory support for smaller member organizations that cannot support a full-time CISO.
• Cloudflare (Licensing) Licensing of Cloudflare security and performance products to Merit members through The Quilt/Carahsoft Government-wide IT Solutions Contract Vehicle.
• DUO Advantage (Licensing) Licensing of Cisco Duo multi-factor authentication to Merit members through The Quilt/Carahsoft Government-wide IT Solutions Contract Vehicle.
• Veeam Software (Licensing) Licensing of Veeam backup and recovery software to Merit members through The Quilt/Carahsoft Government-wide IT Solutions Contract Vehicle.
• Juniper Networks (Licensing) Licensing of Juniper networking equipment to Merit members through The Quilt/Carahsoft Government-wide IT Solutions Contract Vehicle.
• The Quilt/Carahsoft Contract Government-wide IT solutions contract vehicle that Merit uses to license third-party software, hardware, and services for its members.
• eduroam Service Federated network access service that connects Michigan educational institutions to the global eduroam infrastructure spanning more than 100 countries, enabling secure, seamless Wi-Fi access for students, faculty, and researchers when visiting participating institutions.
• Broadband Technical Assistance Program providing technical assistance to Michigan communities and providers seeking to plan, fund, and deploy broadband infrastructure.
• Michigan Moonshot Statewide community initiative aimed at expanding broadband access and digital opportunity across Michigan, coordinating Broadband Technical Assistance, DOEM, and Workforce Development efforts.
• Workforce Development Programs training the Michigan workforce for careers in networking, cybersecurity, and IT infrastructure, supporting talent pipelines for member employers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000 miles of fiber infrastructure connecting 170+ Michigan communities
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major detroit digital inclusion partner, major municipal partner for detroit digital inclusion, key tribal broadband partner; co-host of recurring tribal broadband bootcamp, flagship strategic co-development partner, research collaborator under nsf cc* grant, founding research partner; co-participant in horus high-speed computing fast lane, key licensing partner for members, strategic group purchasing/licensing partner, key networking vendor licensing partner, core strategic initiative partner, major research and education network partner and recurring collaborator at the quilt fall member meeting.

• Wayne State Universitymajor detroit digital inclusion partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2025Local institutional partner in the Detroit Eduroam Expansion initiative alongside the City of Detroit. Wayne State University also participates in the HORUS high-speed computing fast lane with U-M, MSU, and Merit Network.
• City of Detroitmajor municipal partner for detroit digital inclusionStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2025Municipal partner in the Detroit Eduroam Expansion community initiative to advance digital inclusion across Detroit, collaborating with Wayne State University and Rocket Community Fund.
• Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indianskey tribal broadband partner; co-host of recurring tribal broadband bootcampStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 August 2025Hosted Merit's first Tribal Broadband Bootcamp, a three-day intensive learning experience bringing together network operators, industry professionals, and broadband experts to share knowledge on building and running Tribal Internet networks. A second bootcamp is scheduled August 18-21, 2025 in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.
• Michigan State Universityflagship strategic co-development partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2022Joint recipient of a $10.5 million federal grant to develop the MOON-Light middle-mile broadband infrastructure in Michigan. The project connects underserved areas with middle-mile fiber-optic networks, enabling affordable high-speed internet via open-access regional networks. MSU also participates in the HORUS high-speed computing fast lane with the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Merit.
• University of Californiaresearch collaborator under nsf cc* grantStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration under the NSF CC* (Campus Cyberinfrastructure) grant to advance a more resilient IPv6 Internet through both research and practical implementation.
• University of Michiganfounding research partner; co-participant in horus high-speed computing fast laneStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports the HORUS high-speed computing fast lane alongside MSU, Wayne State, and Merit. NSFNET Backbone Service partner (1987-1995) with Merit, NSF, ANS, IBM, and MCI.
• Cloudflarekey licensing partner for membersOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSoftware license reseller for Merit's Member community under the licensing portfolio (alongside DUO Advantage, Veeam Software, Juniper Networks, and The Quilt/Carahsoft contract).
• DUO Advantagekey licensing partner for membersOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerResold license for Members under Merit's licensing portfolio for security/authentication.
• Veeam Softwarekey licensing partner for membersOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerResold backup/data protection license for Merit's Member community.
• The Quilt / Carahsoftstrategic group purchasing/licensing partnerOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerContract vehicle through which Merit offers cloud, security and networking software licenses to Members under group purchasing terms.
• Juniper Networkskey networking vendor licensing partnerOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerResold Juniper Networks licensing for Merit's Member community.
• eduroam (global research and education roaming network)core strategic initiative partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerit operates eduroam and supports US Identity Service Provider and Service Provider onboarding; provides secure, world-wide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community across 100+ countries.
• Internet2major research and education network partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration partner presenting at Internet2 TechEX (TechEX24, TechEX25) on the National Distributed Network Telescope and CLASSNET community labeling of security/networking test datasets.
• The Quilt (consortium)recurring collaborator at the quilt fall member meetingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerit researchers (Dr. Pierrette Dagg, Dr. Shereen Ismail, Ammar Alomari) presented at The Quilt 2025 in-person fall member meeting on "Moving Forward with the National Distributed Network Telescope: Building a Collaborative Cyberinfrastructure for the Next Five Years."

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Internet2: U.S.-based nonprofit R&E network serving universities and research institutions with high-performance networking, security services, and identity federation — directly comparable to Merit's Member-based connectivity and managed-security offerings, though at national rather than state scale.
• MCNC: North Carolina nonprofit operator of a regional fiber backbone (NCREN) delivering Internet, managed security, and broadband technical assistance to education, government, healthcare, and nonprofit Members — near-identical business model, geographic scope, and customer mix to Merit.
• CENIC: California nonprofit R&E network (Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California) providing high-bandwidth networking, cybersecurity, and eduroam services to universities, libraries, K-12, and government — directly comparable nonprofit state-scale R&E network operator.
• WiscNet: Wisconsin-based nonprofit serving education, government, libraries, and healthcare with Internet connectivity, managed services, and broadband technical assistance — same Member-owned nonprofit regional network model as Merit, in an adjacent Midwest geography.
• Great Plains Network: Consortium of Midwestern state research and education networks (including networks like GPN, KanREN, MOREnet) collaborating on high-speed networking, cybersecurity, and digital equity — comparable organizational structure and Member focus to Merit's regional R&E positioning.
• Connected Nation: National nonprofit focused on broadband access, digital inclusion, and broadband-mapping services for underserved communities — highly comparable to Merit's Michigan Moonshot, DOEM mapping, and Project Compass digital-equity programs.
• REN-ISAC: Information Sharing and Analysis Center serving the U.S. research and education networking community — directly comparable to the cybersecurity/SOC and NDNT functions Merit provides to its Members and the national R&E community.
• Internet Systems Consortium (ISC): Nonprofit operator of critical Internet infrastructure including BIND DNS, Kea DHCP, and public DNS services — analogous to Merit in being a nonprofit steward of essential Internet infrastructure (RADb, ORION) with a global operator community.

Others

• The Quilt: Consortium of regional U.S. R&E networks of which Merit is a member; provides group-purchasing/licensing (Carahsoft contract) that Merit resells to its Members — a peer ecosystem partner and indirect commercial comparable for Merit's licensing and procurement scale.

Regional players

• GÉANT: Europe's pan-European R&E network federation providing high-capacity networking, eduroam, and security services to NRENs and their Member institutions — highly analogous nonprofit R&E model to Merit, but operating across Europe rather than a single U.S. state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat8 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/Merit-Research/AMON
• Xx.com/meritnetwork
• Facebookfacebook.com/meritnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/merit-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Merit Network