What is the Internet?
The internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that allows users to communicate and share information. It is a widely used computer network that started as an academic research project and became a global commercial network.
It is decentralized, meaning that no one owns or controls who can connect to it. Instead, multiple organizations operate their networks and negotiate voluntary agreements for interconnection. More than 2 billion people use the internet worldwide.
The Internet is a worldwide network of networks that uses the Internet Protocol suite namely the TCP/IP to link devices worldwide.
History of the Internet
The internet originated as ARPANET, which was a research network funded by the military's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, now DARPA). Bolt, Beranek and Newman, a consulting firm, built the network in 1969 under the leadership of ARPA administrator Bob Taylor. In 1973, Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn created TCP/IP, which became the basis of the modern internet. ARPANET switched to TCP/IP in 1983, after which the National Science Foundation funded the internet's backbone until 1994 when control was transferred to the private sector during the Clinton Administration. Since then, the internet has been privately funded and operated.
Parts of the Internet
The internet has three main parts:
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The last mile connects homes and small businesses to the internet, with most connections provided by cable companies or fiber optic cables, and an increasing number of users accessing the internet wirelessly through cell towers.
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Data centers are rooms filled with servers that store user data and host online content and apps. They have fast internet connections and can be located anywhere in the world, often in remote areas with cheap land and electricity.
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The backbone is made up of long-distance networks, mostly on fiber optic cables, that carry data between data centers and consumers. Backbone providers connect their networks at internet exchange points in major cities to improve their connections to others.