What Is Internet Backbone?

Imagine the Internet as a giant, interconnected web of computers. The backbone of this web is the part that connects all the different networks and makes sure all those computers can talk to one another. It's like a backbone in your body: it supports everything else and keeps you strong. That's why we call it an Internet backbone! It's the part of the Internet that's not your smartphone, laptop, or tablet—it's the part that connects all those things. It's also part of the Internet that connects all those things to other things: websites, email servers, databases, and so on. The backbone ensures that when you click on a link in your browser, all that information isn't just magically appearing in front of you (which would be pretty cool). It knows how to send your request from one place to another using complicated protocols and systems. The first Internet backbone was named NSFNET. It was funded by the U.S. government and introduced by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1987. It was a T1 line comprising approximately 170 smaller networks operated at 1.544 Mbps. The backbone was a combination of fiber-optic trunk lines, each with several fiber-optic cables wired to increase capacity. Do you know how you have a backbone? You probably take it for granted if you're like most people. Did you know that the first Internet backbone was the size of a T1 line? That's right—it was a single line. That wasn't all! It was also government-funded and operated by the National Science Foundation (NSF). It didn't even use fiber-optic trunk lines! It was called NSFNET, and it was introduced in 1987. It consisted of approximately 170 smaller networks and operated at 1.544 Mbps (megabits per second), which sounds slow to us today but was lightning fast at the time. The backbone itself consisted of fiber-optic cables wired together to increase capacity. So next time someone asks why your Internet connection is so slow—don't blame it on your ISP! Blame it on the government and its terrible decision to fund this project with just one T1 line instead of enough fiber optic cables to reach the country several times!