From ARPANET to 5G: A brief history of the internet | Allconnect

It’s hard to remember a time when the internet wasn’t a part of our lives, but its rise was actually shockingly fast.In 1995, nearly half the country hadn’t even heard of the internet.Today, 85% of Americans use the internet every day, and one in three say they’re online “almost constantly.” How did we make such a leap in such a short period of time? We’ll trace the internet from its origins in the U.S.

Department of Defense (DOD) to where we could see it heading over the next decade.  When was the internet invented? While you can trace its origins all the way back to the invention of the telegram, the internet as we know it today actually has a very specific birthday: Jan.1, 1983.That’s when a new communications protocol called Transfer Control Protocol/Internetwork Protocol (TCP/IP) was established.  Computers had been around for a while before that — and there were even disparate networks running — but they had no standard for communicating with each other.

That officially changed with the launch of the TCP/IP, which allowed all these computers to finally “talk” to each other.  Evolution of the internet While the modern internet was “born” in 1983, there were a number of milestones that came before and after that have gotten it to where it is today.These are some of the most important landmarks in the history of the internet.The first computer: 1942 The first electronic digital computer computer was created in 1942 by Professor John Vincent Atanasoff and his graduate student Clifford Berry at Iowa State College (now Iowa State University).

It was called the Atanasoff–Berry computer, or ABC.Before this, there were mechanical computing machines dating back to 1822, but the ABC created several breakthroughs in computer science.Most notably, it used binary digits — just ones and zeros — to represent all data, which allowed calculations to be done electronically.

The ABC weighed about 700 pounds and could complete one operation every 15 seconds.For comparison, the iPhone 12 can complete around 11 trillion operations per second.  The first modem: 1958 While newswire services had been using devices that fit the technical definition of “modem” since the 20s, modern digital modems were first produced in 1958 by AT&T’s Bell Labs.They were created as part of the Sage air-defense system to send information between terminals around North America.

Like dial-up internet, they utilized existing telephone lines to transmit data at speeds around 13.75 bytes per second, which translates to 0.000013 Mbps.ARPANET, the first internet prototype: 1969 Like a lot of technology from the time period, a major catalyst in computer science was the heating up of the Cold War.The launch of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite prompted the U.S.

Defense Department to find new ways of sending information in the event of a nuclear attack.This led to the creation of ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), which evolved into what we now know as the internet.  On Oct.29, 1969, researchers were finally ready to test out the new system after three years in development.

UCLA student Charley Kline typed the word “LOGIN” and sent it over to his counterpart at Stanford.Only the “LO” made it through before the system crashed, but the researchers were able to fix the issue within a couple hours, paving the way for countless instant messages, emails and Slacks in the decades to come.  World Wide Web: 1989 Six years after the TCP/IP protocol was established, a researcher named Tim Berners-Lee had grown frustrated with how difficult it was to find information stored on different computers.He distributed a proposal to his employers for a “distributed hypertext system,” which effectively created the World Wide Web as we know it today, along with ideas for the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and the web address (URL).

External pull quote: “Imagine, then, the references in this document all being associated with the network address of the thing to which they referred, so that while reading this document you could skip to them with a click of the mouse.” Berners-Lee envisioned a system of text that interlinks with other text (hypertext) that could be viewed by “browsers.” It wasn’t until 1993, with the introduction of the graphical Mosaic web browser, that his World Wide Web became the most popular internet protocol by far.Before then, graphics weren’t commonly mixed in with text.  Internet connections over the years After the introduction of Mosaic web browser in 1993 came what we now know as the “internet boom” of the 90s.In 1990, 42% of U.S.

adults said they used a personal computer at home, work or school, but few of them were connected to the internet.In 1995, just 14% of adults used the internet; by 2000, almost half of Americans had gotten online.For most of the internet’s early history, dial-up was the primary way for computers to connect with each other.

In July 1992, Sprint became the first company to offer dial-up internet commercially, introducing the public at large to the joys of being online.  Dial-up remained the dominant type of internet throughout the 90s.At its peak in 2000, AOL — the provider most synonymous with dial-up — had around 23 million subscribers.By 2004, broadband had overtaken dial-up as the connection of choice for most Americans.  Today, nearly one million Americans still rely on dial-up internet service, primarily due to price and availability.

Dial-up providers typically offer speeds up to 56 Kbps, almost 500 times slower than what the FCC defines as minimum broadband speeds.Cable internet: 2004 – present Today, most home internet connections utilize some form of cable internet.By the mid-2000s, the price for broadband — high-speed cable internet that is always on and much faster than DSL — had begun to drop, and more people were making the switch from dial-up.

At the same time, websites had started incorporating things like flash and movies, which required more bandwidth to load.Today, a majority of home internet connections use a cable network.  What’s next? While it doesn’t look like cable will go the way of dial-up anytime soon, there are a number of other connection types that are pushing the envelope even further.Here are a few technologies you might see more and more in the next decade.

Satellite internet For most people, satellite internet is a last resort.While it’s available almost everywhere, its speeds are typically a fraction of broadband’s, and you usually have to deal with low data allowances every month.But that’s all changing with the launch of Starlink, a new satellite internet company from SpaceX.

Unlike traditional satellite service, Starlink utilizes satellites that are closer to the Earth, which drastically increases speeds and reduces latency.The company says it reaches download speeds of 150 Mbps, compared to maxes of 25 – 30 Mbps from other satellite providers.The service is currently in use by about 10,000 customers, but Starlink says it will be expanding rapidly through the rest of the year.

Starlink has been instrumental in closing the digital divide in rural areas lacking broadband access.The company’s customer base has already expanded to over one million subscribers in the U.S.and plans to grow its satellite constellation from its current 7,000 to 42,000.

Amazon’s Project Kuiper is another satellite provider in the playing field that plans to launch its first operational satellites in 2025.6G internet Over the last few years, we’ve become accustomed to 5G cellular technology, especially through providers like Verizon and T-Mobile that offer 5G Home Internet plans, but 6G is already on the horizon and promises faster speeds and wider network coverage.6G is the sixth generation of cellular technology that is still in development.It will operate at higher radio frequencies than 5G, which will result in more bandwidth and lower latency for users.

6G will build upon existing 5G infrastructure but will be able to carry more data at faster speeds.According to Ericsson, 6G is expected to become available in the 2030s.Broadband expansion Various government programs have been launched to increase broadband access and availability in unserved and underserved areas.The Internet for All initiative aims to connect everyone in America to affordable, high-speed internet service by 2030.

The $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program is the main government funding initiative aiming to close this digital divide, and funds are still being distributed among eligible entities throughout the country.Read more about government broadband funding and expansion.Allconnect: Let us compare providers for you Why should you choose Allconnect? We’re the #1 broadband marketplace in the U.S., meaning you can trust us to search, compare and order internet and TV service for your home.

Get started Written by: Camryn Smith Camryn Smith started writing for Allconnect in July 2022 and has developed broadband expertise across the landscape, including home internet providers, plans, pricing and equipment, as well as internet technolog… Read more Edited by: Anine Sus Editor I Read bio What to read next Read more Featured 2030 is the U.S.target date for ‘Internet for All’ Robin Layton — 3 min read Featured How to stop your internet from buffering Lisa Iscrupe — 3 min read Featured Digital Divide – Resources for parents to help their children learn online Ari Howard — 3 min read Latest Friday, February 21, 2025 From ARPANET to 5G: A brief history of the internet Camryn Smith — 6 min read Friday, February 21, 2025 How much data does Zoom use? Camryn Smith — 4 min read Friday, February 21, 2025 Allconnect’s 2025 broadband customer satisfaction report  Camryn Smith — 8 min read