TeleGeography research groups bandwidth users into four categories: internet backbone providers, content providers, research and education (R&E), and enterprises and others.
Although R&E is often overshadowed—in favor of content providers especially—it is foundational to the other sectors.
R&E networks are communications networks dedicated to supporting research and educational communities. They are unique in their priorities; top R&E routes don’t always mirror top commercial internet routes.
And although R&E accounts for a sliver of global bandwidth usage ...
Used International Bandwidth by Source, 2023
Large R&E networks are provisioning significant capacity.
I chime in with a presentation on R&E network trends and topologies, which you can download as a PDF over here.