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How Britain got its first internet connection


Published on 2025-01-14 01:42:25 - MSN
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  • British computer scientist and Internet Hall of Fame inductee Peter Kirstein died in January 2020 at the age of 86, after a nearly 50-year career at UCL. A few years before he died, he was commissioned by then Conversation technology editor Michael Parker (now director of operations) to write an in-depth piece originally intended as part of a special series on the internet.

The article details the establishment of Britain's first internet connection, which occurred on August 29, 1985, through a project named 'Project Unison' at University College London (UCL). This connection was made possible by Peter T. Kirstein, a British computer scientist, who linked UCL to the ARPANET, the precursor to the internet, via a transatlantic satellite link. This pioneering effort not only connected UCL to the U.S. but also facilitated the connection of other European universities, marking the beginning of the internet in Europe. The connection was initially slow, with data transfer rates of 9.6 kilobits per second, but it laid the groundwork for future technological advancements. The article highlights the significance of this event in the context of global internet history, emphasizing the collaborative efforts between U.S. and European scientists.

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[ https://www.msn.com/en-us/technology/tech-companies/how-britain-got-its-first-internet-connection/ar-BB1rnIkq ]