Bristol plays a leading role in the South West England Regional Network (SWERN), which supplies the UK Joint Academic Network (JANET) data network connections for all Higher Education Institutions and Further Education Colleges in the South West region, amounting to over 40 organisations with a combined total of around 500,000 users.
SWERN is the Regional Network Operator and holds a contract with the United Kingdom Education and Research Networking Association (UKERNA), the national network provider.