The History of the Internet
Community Fibre is known for having London’s fastest fibre broadband speeds*, which it delivers using the UK’s best broadband technology. But how is this possible? The internet has certainly come a long way since its inception in 1969.
To help the UK appreciate just how far the internet has come, Community Fibre - the experts in super-fast fibre broadband speeds - has recruited Harry Shotta, the legendary rapper heralded for his fast rhymes, to give a ‘history lesson’ on the internet.
Known for breaking the Guinness World Record for the number of words in a track, previously held by Eminem, Shotta’s new track captures the history of the internet and key moments since its inception, with nods to the good old days of MSN, as well as to current day TikTok trends.
Want to hear more? Take a listen below!
*Source: Fastest consumer broadband speeds independently verified by FDM on behalf of Community Fibre 30th November 2023. Community Fibre 3 Gbps Fibre Broadband package offers average download speeds of 3000 Mbps. All other providers listed offer the maximum download speed of 1,600 Mbps or less: Virgin Media, Openreach, Hyperoptic, G Network, 4th Utility, FibreNest, Hey Broadband, Gigaclear, OFNL, Pure Fibre & Switch Fibre.
• 1969 - ARPAnet, the very first version of the internet is created and used to link computers at UCLA and Stanford University
• 1976 - Queen Elizabeth II sends an email message on ARPAnet, becoming the first head of state to do so
• 1982 - The word ‘email’ is first used and the first ever smiley ‘emoticon’ is invented
• 1989 - Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, lays the foundation for the internet as we know it today by inventing the World Wide Web
• 1991 - The World Wide Web is made available to the public for the first time on the internet
• 1992 - The first ever photo is uploaded to the World Wide Web. Dial up is now offered commercially in the UK
• 1993 - The first web browser available to the public launches. The fastest available modem transfers data at a max speed of 14.4 kilobytes per second, equivalent to 51.84MB per hour. Dial-up internet access is connected via phone lines, meaning the internet and the phone can’t be used at the same time
• 1993 - The term ‘Internet meme’ is coined
• 1994 - The launch of the 28.8k modem doubled internet speeds
• 1996 - The earliest broadband is made available in Canada, around twenty times faster than dial-up internet connections
• 1997 - Microsoft Outlook is released, and Microsoft buys Hotmail for $400 million
• Late 1990s - The government initiates efforts to promote internet access and broadband development, recognizing its economic potential
• 2000 - The UK government sets up the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) to accelerate broadband rollout
• 2008 - The UK government unveils the Digital Britain report, emphasizing the importance of universal broadband access
• 2018 - Community Fibre, a London-based broadband provider, emerges as a significant player in the market
• 2019 - The UK government sets ambitious goals for gigabit-capable broadband across the country by 2025
• 2020 - The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of high-speed internet access for remote work, education, and healthcare
• 2021 - Community Fibre continues its expansion, offering gigabit broadband services to more communities in London
• Present Day - The UK continues to invest in broadband infrastructure, striving to bridge the digital divide and ensure widespread access to high-speed internet services
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