Web 101: The Development of the Internet

Although many people think of the internet as a fairly recent invention, it has actually been around for a very long time. It has undergone many stages of development, starting from a communication system used by the government to the mobile broadband we use today.

This article sketches out the history of the internet and illustrates the changes it has gone through for it to become what we know as mobile broadband.

Nuclear Attack Communications

The internet is a system that was initially created so that the United States government had a way to communicate with bombers and missiles after a nuclear attack. Research was done to determine the best way to do it. They came up with a method called packet switching. In packet switching, information is sent in clumps called packets. After the data has been sent, the receiving computer counts the packets and makes sure all of them have been received.

APRAnet

This technology was then renamed into APRAnet. APRA means Advanced Research Projects Agency.  Of course, at this time, it was not yet fully developed. It was only available for certain networks and information could only be sent if the receiving network was similar to the source network. Further research was done to address this problem, and the Transfer Control Protocol, Internet Protocol was introduced. Along with speedy local area networks or LAN and satellite technology, this allowed computers from the US to communicate with those in Europe. Still, at this time, the use of the technology was restricted to government units and selected private agencies.

Usenet

The number of users began to expand to include universities. The technology also improved further. Usenet was created in 1979, which allowed data to be stored and forwarded to other users. By the late eighties, the network managed to send data packets at speeds up to 45 MBPS.

Narrowband

The system was made available to the public in 1992, when narrowband was introduced. Narrowband is known to many by the more familiar term “dial-up networking”. The World Wide Web was released to the general public, and they were able to receive information through modems that were directly connected to telephone lines. Initial speeds were only up to 14.4 KBPS, but these improved to reach 28.8 KBPS, and then later, 56 KBPS. During this time, websites and domains cost a lot of money, so they could not be used just by anyone.

Establishment of ISPs

People during this time began to recognize the viability of the internet as a business. Internet Service Providers began to crop up. They used Ipv4 technology to provide internet connections to up to 4 billion people. The demand kept increasing, so they introduced Ipv6, which in tandem with the technology used in mobile phones, could provide internet access to up to 6 billion people.

Broadband Internet

In 1997, the broadband internet was introduced. It was clearly a step up from the previously used narrowband, managing to provide speeds of up to 512 KPBS in certain areas.

Mobile Broadband

Eventually, the technology for broadband internet continued to be developed. Mobile broadband was created to allow people to access the internet no matter where they are.

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