Annual report 2024

The year 2024 was a pivotal one. A year in which societal developments, technological challenges, and political changes converged, and during which Belnet made a resolute choice for strengthening, renewal, and connection.

Another highlight of Belnet’s 2024 was the roll-out of several internal cybersecurity awareness campaigns. Robust technical security measures are essential, but we firmly believe that people are the most important link when it comes to information security. A single careless click or download can have major consequences. 

What if your organisation’s IT systems were hit by a cyberattack? How do you ensure your crisis team works effectively together? And how should you communicate externally in the event of a ransomware attack? These are just a few of the real-life scenarios covered in the first cyber crisis training programme that Belnet launched between 2023 and 2024 in collaboration with the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) and SURF.

Through the BeQCI project, Belnet is playing an active role in rolling out a quantum communication network in Belgium. Within the consortium, Belnet is specifically responsible for deploying a separate dedicated infrastructure: the fibre-optic links within Belgium and the required quantum network equipment. This infrastructure significantly enhances the security of data exchange, particularly for research institutions and public authorities.

Internet traffic in Belgium regularly peaked at over 500 Gbit/s in 2024. These peaks occurred, for example, on Monday, November 4th – after the autumn holidays and the day before the US elections – with a peak of 520 Gbit/s, or 15 percent more than the largest peak in 2023 (462 Gbit/s). High peak values ​​of 515 Gbit/s per second were also seen on September 3rd and December 10th at their busiest.

BOOSTED stands for: Belgium Optical network for Optical frequency Standards and TimE Dissemination and aims to transfer time and frequency signals over the Belnet network. This innovative challenge is being addressed by Belnet, which is being closely collaborated with the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB).

2024 was all about international cross-pollination, and Belnet is strongly committed to ensuring our communities can reap the direct benefits.

At the European level, Belnet contributed to the development of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) as a Belgian-mandated organization. Belnet contributes to the strategic research and innovation agenda (SRIA) of the EOSC Association (EOSC-A), participates in the EOSC-A general assembly, advises on European funding programs, and actively participates in various (inter)national Open Science consultation bodies and symposia. 

Back to 2022: the government and Belnet concluded together that the WAN connectivity of the Belgian federal government could be cheaper, more efficient and of better quality.

The general accounts provide a clear overview of revenues, expenses, and financial commitments, offering a comprehensive picture of Belnet’s financial position.