2 ms·
Almost certainly correct. We started with 56k async ISDN, then 64k and ultimately 2Mbps - all ISDN back to Melbourne (120km) which cost a literal fortune. Sate
by doctor_eval 3y ago
Almost certainly correct. We started with 56k async ISDN, then 64k and ultimately 2Mbps - all ISDN back to Melbourne (120km) which cost a literal fortune.
Satellite (and squid!) changed the cost basis dramatically.
Something that was unique at the time was that we couldn’t get ahead of our bandwidth growth. We’d order more Mbps, but by the time it was commissioned, we’d need more. All links from all providers were always saturated. It was years before we could talk about contention ratios, or offer uncontended bandwidth.
It’s hard to explain just how hard it was to keep up with the compound growth of data use from, literally, zero. You couldn’t just log into a website and click the “up” button. It was all scarcity, logistics and engineering.