nanog mailing list archives
Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS)
From: "Steven G. Huter" <sghuter () nsrc org>
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2020 16:43:23 -0800
On 1/28/20 4:22 PM, Paul Nash wrote:
Carrying on with the “first Internet connection” thread: I forget how I found out about Usenet and UUCP email (lost in the mosts of time). I ran a store and forward dial-up link from South Africa to DDSW1 in Chicago (Hi Karl! Thanks!). I cobbled together a package with a DOS-based mail reader and a DOS port of UUCP that several people used to get their email (including a local medical research establishment and the local veterinary college). Demand grew, along with a request to relay email to the UNHCR in Northen Mozambique, so I scraped some money together to import a horribly expensive Telebit modem. I ended up being the regional non-academic email hub for Southern Africa. Just prior to the 1994 election, I got together with a two friends (Alan Barret and Chris Pinkham) and founded the first ISP in sub-Saharan Africa. We managed to get a 64k satellite link at a very good price (the satellite folk were busy being retrenched and we were prepared to sign a contract specifically requiring satellite service for 5 years, which gave them some job security). We borrowed a Cisco router from DiData (Cisco agents), skirted other telco regulations to link regions. One of our early customers was a group of students who wanted to start a small dial ISP nearby. We gave them service, bootstrapping what became our biggest competitor, Internet Solutions (now part of DiData, who never did ask for their router back). Our little ISP grew and grew, and eventually merged with our biggest client, was sold, sold again, and so on. Last time I looked, it had become Verizon Africa.
Hello PaulGood to hear from you. nsrc.org archived some of your notes and reflections at the time.
Here is an email message from December 1992 that captures some of the early ZA net history.
https://nsrc.org/db/lookup/report.php?id=890202331950:497427756&fromISO=ZAAnd the first ping to the Internet from South Africa via rain.psg.com in Oregon on November 12, 1991.
https://nsrc.org/db/lookup/report.php?id=896820262105:488982630&fromISO=ZA And where it all began in October 1988. :-) https://nsrc.org/db/lookup/report.php?id=896820010472:489008357&fromISO=ZA Steve Huter
Current thread:
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that, (continued)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Aled Morris via NANOG (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Lyle Giese (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Lyle Giese (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Roy (Jan 27)
- RE: Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Jamie Bowden via NANOG (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Brandon Martin (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Bryan Holloway (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that bzs (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Forrest Christian (List Account) (Jan 28)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Paul Nash (Jan 28)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Steven G. Huter (Jan 29)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that John Von Essen (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Bryan Holloway (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Bruce H McIntosh (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that james jones (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that bzs (Jan 27)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that William Allen Simpson (Jan 28)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Paul Ebersman (Jan 28)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Large Hadron Collider (Jan 28)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that tim () pelican org (Jan 28)
- Re: Reminiscing our first internet connections (WAS) Re: akamai yesterday - what in the world was that Andy Ringsmuth (Jan 28)