International Packet Switched Service facts for kids
The International Packet Switched Service (IPSS) was a very important computer network. It was the first one that connected different countries using a special method called packet switching. Imagine sending information in small "packets" instead of one long stream! This network started in 1978. It was a team effort between Britain's Post Office Telecommunications and two companies from the United States, Western Union International and Tymnet.
How the IPSS Network Grew
The IPSS network started in Europe and the United States. By 1981, it had grown to include Canada, Hong Kong, and Australia. By the 1990s, it had become a huge network connecting computers all over the world.
Connecting to the IPSS
Companies and even individual people could connect to this network. They used special equipment like a PSS (Packet Switch Stream) modem or an X.25 PAD (packet assembler/disassembler). These devices helped send and receive the data packets. Users also needed a special PSS line, like a dedicated phone line for data.
Once connected, people could reach many online databases and large computer systems. There were different speeds of PSS lines available. Faster lines cost more money to use.
IPSS and the Early Internet
By 1984, British Telecom had joined the PSS to the global network. They started offering IPSS services to their customers. Other companies, like Dynatech, made the equipment needed to connect to the network. This included modems and devices called PADs that helped organize the data packets.
In 1988, the IPSS had a directory listing about 800 places around the world that you could connect to using the X.25 standard. Later on, the network started using TCP/IP. This was a big step because it helped build the foundation for the early Internet that we use today.
See also
- History of the Internet
- Public data network
