The Evolution of High-Speed Internet: From ARPANET to 5G

The development of high-speed internet was not the result of a single individual but a collaborative effort spanning several decades and involving numerous researchers, engineers, and companies. Various milestones, including ARPANET, the TCP/IP protocol, fiber optic technology, commercial internet, and wireless technologies, contributed to this evolution.

The Precursor: ARPANET (1969)

ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) Network (ARPANET) was the precursor to the internet and was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. It was one of the first networks to implement packet switching, a foundational technology for high-speed data transmission. This laid the groundwork for the modern internet and allowed data to be transmitted between different networks efficiently.

The TCP/IP Protocol (1970s)

Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn are credited with developing the Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). These protocols allowed different networks to communicate, which was crucial for the interconnectivity of the internet as we know it today. The TCP/IP protocol has become the standard for transmitting data over the internet and is essential for all internet activities.

Fiber Optic Technology (1970s-1980s)

Researchers like Charles Kao and George H. Heilmeier were instrumental in pioneering fiber optic technology for data transmission. Fiber optics increased the speed and capacity of internet connections significantly. This advancement provided the necessary infrastructure for the subsequent evolution of the internet, including the emergence of high-speed broadband services.

Commercial Internet (1990s)

Companies like AOL and Sprint began offering dial-up internet services in the 1990s. However, it was the introduction of broadband technologies such as DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) and cable in the late 1990s and early 2000s that dramatically increased internet speeds. DSL, in particular, transformed the way people accessed the internet, enabling faster and more reliable connections than dial-up services.

Wireless Technologies (2000s)

The development of Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 standards) and mobile broadband technologies such as 3G, 4G, and later 5G, further expanded access to high-speed internet. These technologies made internet connectivity more accessible and versatile, enabling people to stay connected on the go. The advent of 4G and 5G networks in particular marked a significant leap in internet speed and reliability, paving the way for the internet of things (IoT), smart cities, and advanced mobile applications.

Personal Insights into ADSL Deployment

I had a small hand in this evolution, at least from the operational point of view. My early career involved deploying one of the first ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) consumer broadband systems in the USA in the early 2000s. Those were exciting times, and the internet was still much like the wild west.

We initially worked with POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) dial-up internet lines on 3Com chassis with T1 lines. These giant modem banks were the norm at the time. Once broadband came along, we deployed aggregation gear, known as DSLAMS (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) on Redback Networks SMS 1800 and later on SMS 10000 series DSLAMS. These systems featured an awesome crashing behavior whenever you ran the 'show version' command, which is a common diagnostic check. This required a bit of troubleshooting and patience!

As the years progressed, we moved to Cisco 10K series DSLAMS, which could handle up to 15,000 subscribers per chassis, depending on the configuration. These systems were connected via ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) POS (Pseudo-Synchronous Optical Network) interfaces and typically used multiple OC12 (Optical Carrier 12) lines, which provided speeds of 622 Mbps.

AdSL worked by creating ATM virtual circuits between the edge network and customer-premises equipment (CPE), all managed via the DSLAM. This setup was essential for ensuring that every single customer's internet was working correctly. Escalations to tier 3 support were not uncommon, often involving complex troubleshooting of single packets all the way up to the regional OC192 links, which were 10 Gbps long-haul connections connecting major ISPs.

The level of technical expertise required at the time was astounding. We were familiar with every part of the technology stack, from local modem banks to regional long-haul links. There were even instances of bringing cutting-edge DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) equipment online, with line cards costing upwards of $140,000 each. A single slip-up could be catastrophic, such as a technician dropping a card in the chassis, which almost caused a heart attack as the card was loaded.

Despite the challenges, it was a thrilling time to be in the field. We helped build out a significant part of the infrastructure that transformed the internet into the powerful and ubiquitous tool it is today. So, while we didn't create it, we certainly played a role in making high-speed internet a reality.