Getting to Know SABEN: Connecting Colleges to a Digital Future
January 2, 2026
Getting to Know SABEN: Connecting South Africa’s Colleges to a Digital Future
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, NOVEMBER 2025
When you think about modern education, one of the first things that comes to mind is access. Access to information and to the internet. That is where SABEN, the South African Broadband Education Networks, comes in.
SABEN is a non-profit organisation that works to end “bandwidth poverty”, a term used when schools or colleges do not have enough internet to support teaching and digital learning.
In simple terms, SABEN helps public colleges across South Africa get connected and stay connected. It gives students and educators the tools they need to participate in a digital world.
In South Africa, the NREN includes TENET (Tertiary Education and Research Network of South Africa) and SANReN (South African National Research Network). SABEN works with both of these to extend the network to technical and vocational colleges across the country.
Over 120 countries worldwide have established NRENs, creating a powerful global community of connectivity.
What Is a TVET College?
“Everyone has the right to further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible.”
The term TVET stands for Technical and Vocational Education and Training. The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is responsible for policy, structure and strategy. Government involvement is a crucial part of TVET development in South Africa.
These colleges offer practical training that prepares students for careers in fields such as engineering, business, and hospitality. They are spread across South Africa and form an essential part of the country’s post-school education and training system.
Many of these campuses, especially those in rural areas, have struggled for years with slow or unreliable internet. SABEN’s work is focused on improving access and internet speeds, to overcome this very challenge.
Web-based lectures via video conferencing allow students with mobility issues the opportunity to cut down on some of the travel needed to attend in-person lectures. In this scenario, both the college and the student can benefit from a reliable internet connection.
It’s not only web-based learning that relies on a high-speed connection. For example, screen readers and text-to-speech tools that allow visually impaired students to access information rely heavily on internet connections that don’t delay page downloads.
What Does SABEN Do?
SABEN builds and manages the networks that connect TVET colleges to South Africa’s national education infrastructure.
This includes installing broadband connections, setting up WiFi, providing technical support, and keeping systems secure.
As of 2025, SABEN had connected 256 out of 283 campuses across 48 public TVET colleges through the TVET Colleges Connection Programme.
In many cases, campuses moved from connections as slow as 10 Mbps to speeds of up to 1200 Mbps. These upgrades allow thousands of students and lecturers to teach and learn online with confidence. (Source: Engineering News and In The Field, 2022)
SABEN builds and manages the networks that connect TVET colleges to South Africa’s national education infrastructure.
This includes installing broadband connections, setting up WiFi, providing technical support, and keeping systems secure.
What Is a TVET College?
What Is an NREN?
SABEN is part of a system known as an NREN, or National Research and Education Network.
An NREN is a specialised internet provider that serves education and research institutions. It is not open to the general public and does not aim to make a profit. Its goal is to ensure that schools, colleges, and universities have fast and affordable internet that supports teaching and collaboration.
Who Does SABEN Work With?
SABEN’s work depends on strong partnerships. It collaborates with:
- The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), which oversees South Africa’s post-school education system.
- TENET, which provides internet connectivity and support for tertiary education.
- SANReN, which develops and maintains the national research and education network.
Together, these organisations are helping ensure that South Africa’s colleges can thrive in the digital age.
SABEN’s role might sound technical, but its purpose is simple. It exists to give every public college in South Africa the internet access needed to take part in digital education.
By linking campuses and supporting educators, SABEN is building more than networks. It is building opportunity.