What Belnet Corporate does

Belnet is Belgium's National Research & Education Network (NREN), operating as a public department under separate management within the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO). Founded in 1993 and headquartered at WTC III in Brussels, Belnet provides high-performance internet connectivity and a broad portfolio of associated network, security, identity, and cloud services to Belgian universities, colleges, research centers, federal public services, hospitals, and cultural institutions.

The company's core offering is a connectivity platform anchored on DNS Service (with optional CCB-integrated malicious-site filtering), Domain Name Registration (acting as agent for dns.be and EURid across 1,200+ extensions), Belnet Leased Lines, FEDWAN Connectivity, and Internet/International Connectivity routed via the European GÉANT network. It is layered with a Trust & Security suite (Advanced DNS Security with Anycast Premium, Advanced DDoS Security, Advanced Mail Security, Digital Certificates), an Identity & Federation suite (eduroam, govroam, eduGAIN-connected R&E Federation, eduVPN, Orfeo, viaBel.net, Guestroam, FileSender, DMPonline.be, Belnet PID Service), a Cloud suite (Belnet Storage, FedSender, Private Cloud Connect including Azure Belgium Central, GÉANT Cloud Solutions via OCRE), and community support (Belnet Portal, 24/7 Service Desk). Notable technical differentiators include Anycast DNS clustering across Europe, DNSSEC, DNS over HTTPS, and ongoing development of Belgium's first quantum communication network (BeQCI) as part of the cross-border BENELUX-QCI initiative.

Belnet operates a direct, sales-led go-to-market with no commercial channel partners: services are distributed via government procurement, public tenders, 5-year framework agreements (notably the 2023-2028 Telenet Business contract underpinning FEDWAN), and a self-service domain registration portal. Many core services (DNS, Belnet Intelligent DNS) are free for connected organizations, while add-on security, cloud, and domain services generate recurring revenue. The organization employs 51-100 staff, manages 1,400+ physical locations through the FEDWAN rollout for 20 federal organizations, and projects €1.2M in annual savings (≥10% cost reduction) for the Belgian federal government once full migration is complete by 2026.

Name

Belnet Corporate

Legal name

Belnet

Website

https://belnet.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Belnet is Belgium's National Research & Education Network (NREN), providing high-performance internet connectivity, DNS, domain registration, security, identity federation, and cloud services to Belgian universities, research institutions, and federal public services under BELSPO.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research and Education Network Infrastructure

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210), Regulation and Administration of Communications, Electric, Gas, and Other Utilities (92613)

akta.pro primary industry

IT Governance, Risk & Compliance (IT GRC) Platforms (HDAEALAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cloud Compliance, Audit & Continuous Controls Monitoring (CCM/GRC) (HDABAHAI)

Keywords

• Research education network
• Network connectivity services
• DNS security services
• Identity federation services
• Federal WAN connectivity

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Network Connectivity Services: Belnet provides connectivity services including leased lines, WAN connectivity, and internet connectivity to federal government services and research/education institutions. Revenue comes through framework contracts and government procurement.
2. Domain Name Registration: Belnet distributes .be and .eu domain names as agent for dns.be and EURid at advantageous rates, offering 1200 extensions. Revenue generated through domain registration fees.
3. DNS and Security Services: DNS service, Domain Name Registration, Advanced DNS Security, Advanced DDoS Security, Belnet Advanced Mail Security, and Digital Certificate services provided to connected organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Belnet is Belgium's National Research & Education Network (NREN), providing high-bandwidth internet connectivity, DNS services, domain name registration, network security, identity/federation, and cloud connectivity solutions for Belgian universities, research institutions, federal public services, and government bodies. The organization operates as a public department under separate management within the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO).

Product overview

Belnet Corporate is Belgium's National Research & Education Network (NREN), providing a comprehensive portfolio of network, security, identity, and cloud services primarily for Belgian research institutions, higher education, federal and public services. The offering is a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on high-performance connectivity (DNS Service, Domain Name Registration, Leased Lines, FEDWAN, Internet/International Connectivity, Multipoint, Fiber Channel, NTP, Media Transport) supplemented by security services (Advanced DNS Security, Advanced DDoS Security, Advanced Mail Security, Digital Certificates), identity and mobility federation (eduroam, govroam, R&E Federation, eduVPN, Belnet PID Service, Orfeo, viaBel.net, Guestroam, FileSender, DMPonline.be), cloud services (Belnet Storage, Belnet FedSender, Belnet Private Cloud Connect, GÉANT Cloud Solutions), and community support (Belnet Portal, Belnet Support). The portfolio serves universities, academic/non-academic hospitals, colleges, federal scientific institutions, public services, and cultural institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DNS Service Provides secure domain name servers for Belgian research, higher education, and public sector organizations, with optional intelligent DNS filtering against malicious sites.
• Domain Name Registration Simplified management of domain names with .be, .eu, .net, .org, and other extensions at preferential rates, using an intuitive interface with Anycast DNS clustering.
• Belnet Leased Line High-performance dedicated network connections with 24/7 monitoring, redundancy, and security, with Belnet managing connection, monitoring, maintenance, and billing.
• FEDWAN Connectivity Connects decentralized sites of federal organizations to each other and to headquarters, with Belnet managing all administrative, financial, and technical WAN aspects.
• Advanced DNS Security Enhanced protection for DNS infrastructure including Anycast Premium, with dashboard and improved protection against HTTPS and DNS attacks.
• Advanced DDoS Security Protection against distributed denial-of-service attacks with a dashboard and enhanced protection for HTTPS and DNS traffic.
• Belnet Advanced Mail Security Security solution for email communications with administrative and technical FAQ resources.
• Digital Certificate Service Digital certificate issuance and management for secure communications and authentication.
• eduroam International roaming wireless access service allowing researchers, educators, and students to connect to Wi-Fi at participating institutions worldwide.
• govroam

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual savings of €1.2 million for federal government through centralized WAN management
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Telenet BusinesscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 February 2023Five-year framework agreement (2023-2028) with Telenet Business for WAN connectivity services to federal government services. Telenet, specialized in business telecom solutions, facilitates WAN connectivity under Belnet's management as part of the FEDWAN project to centralize network management for approximately 20 federal organizations.
• GÉANTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean research and education network of which Belnet is the Belgian NREN member. Enables international connectivity and collaboration for Belgian research and education institutions. Joint events include TNC (Terena Networking Conference) and various collaborative projects.
• Restena FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuxembourg counterpart NREN. Co-hosting TNC 2027 conference in Liège, Belgium. Joint collaboration on Benelux security and privacy meetings.
• BOSA (Federal Public Service Policy & Support)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian Federal Public Service that commissioned the spending review leading to Belnet's centralized WAN management project. Collaborates with Belnet on the FEDWAN initiative for federal government network centralization.
• Belgian Buildings AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body collaborating with Belnet on FEDWAN Connectivity for federal government services in Belgium.
• EuroHPC JUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking. Belnet representing Belgium in supporting European supercomputing infrastructure connectivity.
• EGI CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Grid Infrastructure council. Belnet represents Belgium in the EGI Council, supporting research computing infrastructure.
• OCRE (Open Clouds for Research Environments)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFramework enabling research institutions to access cloud services. Belnet supports Belgian organizations in cloud transitions using OCRE framework.
• SURFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch NREN (National Research and Education Network). Joint organizer of Benelux security & privacy meetings with Belnet and Restena.
• BeQCI (Belgian Quantum Communication Infrastructure)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational quantum communication initiative in which Belnet develops Belgium's first quantum communication network. Partners include imec, LuxQuanta, Think Quantum, ID-Quantique, Q*Bird, and collaborates with neighboring countries.
• BENELUX-QCIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-border quantum communication project involving Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Builds on national initiatives including BeQCI to establish quantum-safe communications across Europe.
• CCB (Centre for Cyber Security Belgium)coreTechnology or IntegrationCenter for Cyber Security Belgium provides malicious website lists to Belnet for DNS filtering through Belgium Anti-Phishing Shield (BAPS) initiative. Daily updates enable real-time protection for end users.
• AI Factory Antenna (BE-AIFA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean AI infrastructure initiative connecting Belgian organizations to continental AI resources through Belnet's network capabilities.
• EOSC FocusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Open Science Cloud initiative. Belnet takes pioneering role in Open Science at national and international levels.
• dns.be and EURidcoreTechnology or IntegrationDomain name registries for .be and .eu domains. Belnet acts as agent distributing domain registrations at advantageous rates to Belgian research, education, and public sector organizations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CESNET: Czech NREN operating a national research and education network with comparable connectivity, identity, and security services for Czech universities and research institutions.
• SWITCH: Swiss NREN providing network connectivity, identity federation (eduGAIN/eduroam), and security services to Swiss universities and research bodies. Comparable in size and service portfolio to Belnet.
• RENATER: French NREN serving French universities, research institutions, and government bodies with high-bandwidth connectivity, identity federation, and security services. Closely comparable in mandate and product mix.
• SURF: Dutch NREN serving Dutch universities, research institutions, and government bodies with comparable network connectivity, identity federation, and cloud services. Closest geographic peer with very similar mandate and product portfolio.
• JISC: UK NREN providing Janet network connectivity and a broad portfolio of digital, data, and security services to UK universities, colleges, and research bodies. Highly comparable in mission, scale, and service breadth.
• Restena Foundation: Luxembourg NREN that already collaborates with Belnet on Benelux security meetings and TNC 2027. Comparable as a small Benelux peer with similar mandate and security-focused offerings.
• DFN-Verein: German NREN operating the X-WiN backbone and providing connectivity, identity, and security services to German universities and research institutions. Comparable in scale, scope, and public-sector mandate.

Broad incumbents

• GÉANT: Pan-European research and education network of which Belnet is the Belgian member. Provides the international backbone and federation services (eduGAIN, eduroam, OCRE) that Belnet extends into Belgium — comparable as the umbrella network rather than a head-to-head competitor.

Regional players

• CANARIE: Canadian NREN providing high-speed network connectivity and identity services to Canadian universities, colleges, and research institutions. Comparable model, different geography.
• Internet2: US non-profit NREN serving American universities and research institutions with high-performance networking and identity services. Operates a similar model but in a different geography with a much larger scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/belnet
• Xx.com/belnet_be

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Belnet Corporate