Nearnet

The term nearnet is used in several fields with no single formal definition. In information technology and networking, nearnet (often written as near-net) is used informally to describe networks, services, or deployments confined to a relatively small geographic area and emphasizing locality, low latency, and local data processing. This broad sense covers campus networks, edge computing deployments, and ad hoc or mesh networks where most communication occurs among nearby devices rather than across long-haul links.

In practice, nearnet concepts prioritize proximity awareness, efficient resource use, and resilient operation with intermittent connectivity. Architectures may employ distributed services running on edge nodes, local caching, and data routing that minimizes round-trip times to nearby hosts. The term has no standardized set of criteria and its exact meaning can vary by organization or field.

Outside technical discourse, nearnet may appear as a brand name or product descriptor for companies that emphasize proximity-based networking, local data processing, or managed services. As with many umbrella terms, its interpretation depends on context.

Related topics include local area networks, edge computing, mesh networks, and distributed systems.