Connect.com.au
Encyclopedia
Connect.com.au was one of the first commercial Internet service provider
s (ISP) to operate in Australia
. The company was founded in 1991 by Hugh Irvine, Benjamin Golding and Joanne Davis, in conjunction with a small group of highly technical staff including Chris Chaundy.
From the outset Connect aimed for supplying high end Internet services to the corporate and wholesale market, marking a stark contrast to the many small ISPs which grew out of the PSTN Bulletin Board systems or the APANA nodes.
In addition to the comprehensive commercial services, Connect also supplied some additional services to both the Australian and International communities.
Free DNS services were provided to various smaller nation-states on the sub-continent and throughout the Pacific Rim, in many cases being the primary authoritative server for these countries until they could provide their own infrastructure. Some of these countries include, but are not limited to, Fiji
, Kiribati
, Nepal
and Micronesia
.In May, 1994, Connect.com.au became the first Internet Service Provider with a formal arrangement to use the university AARNet
network as its internet backbone.
Within Australia Connect became the registry for the .net.au namespace to reduce some of the burden of these domain registrations from Robert Elz
. This coincided roughly with the establishment of the .com.au registry, Melbourne IT
. Connect provided .net.au domains free of charge until a policy change allowed the introduction of registration fees in 1997. Domains registered prior to this change remained free until the .au namespace was deregulated in 2002.
In 2005, connect.com.au faced industry criticism, due to a peering arrangement with other major ISPs. The "Big Four" ISPs at the time, Telstra
, Optus
, OzEmail
and connect.com.au, formed a controversial arrangement where they agreed not to charge each other for data interconnection costs, while charging smaller ISPs a fee for the same service. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
(ACCC) declined to take action in the case.
, Sirius Technologies and AAPT
. AAPT executive John Stuckey was appointed Chief Executive Officer.
In 1998 AAPT acquired the remaining two thirds of Connect, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. Their aim was to consolidate existing business Internet services with those provided by Connect and take advantage of the technically proficient technical team when launching their Smartchat brand. In 2000 AAPT was bought by Telecom New Zealand
.
Chris Chaundy remained with Connect until the early 2000s, following which he joined Comindico
.
In 1999 both Irvine and Chaundy were inducted into the Australian Internet Awards' Hall of Fame.
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s (ISP) to operate in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The company was founded in 1991 by Hugh Irvine, Benjamin Golding and Joanne Davis, in conjunction with a small group of highly technical staff including Chris Chaundy.
From the outset Connect aimed for supplying high end Internet services to the corporate and wholesale market, marking a stark contrast to the many small ISPs which grew out of the PSTN Bulletin Board systems or the APANA nodes.
In addition to the comprehensive commercial services, Connect also supplied some additional services to both the Australian and International communities.
Free DNS services were provided to various smaller nation-states on the sub-continent and throughout the Pacific Rim, in many cases being the primary authoritative server for these countries until they could provide their own infrastructure. Some of these countries include, but are not limited to, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
.In May, 1994, Connect.com.au became the first Internet Service Provider with a formal arrangement to use the university AARNet
AARNet
AARNet or Australian Academic and Research Network offers Internet services to the Australian education and research communities and their research partners.AARNet is a not-for-profit company limited by shares...
network as its internet backbone.
Within Australia Connect became the registry for the .net.au namespace to reduce some of the burden of these domain registrations from Robert Elz
Kevin Robert Elz
Kevin Robert Elz, often referred to in computing circles as Robert Elz, or simply kre, is a computer programmer and a pioneer in connecting Australia to the Internet, and more recently, in connecting Thailand.-Career:...
. This coincided roughly with the establishment of the .com.au registry, Melbourne IT
Melbourne IT
Melbourne IT is an Australian Internet company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange . Formed in 1996, its primary business is domain name registration in most of the major national and global top-level domains...
. Connect provided .net.au domains free of charge until a policy change allowed the introduction of registration fees in 1997. Domains registered prior to this change remained free until the .au namespace was deregulated in 2002.
In 2005, connect.com.au faced industry criticism, due to a peering arrangement with other major ISPs. The "Big Four" ISPs at the time, Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
, Optus
Optus
SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications...
, OzEmail
OzEmail
OzEmail was a major Internet service provider in Australia, until it was acquired by the iiNet ISP on February 28, 2005.-History:In the early 1980s, Sean Howard was the editor of the Australian Personal Computer magazine and was running a small electronic mail service called Microtex...
and connect.com.au, formed a controversial arrangement where they agreed not to charge each other for data interconnection costs, while charging smaller ISPs a fee for the same service. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent authority of the Australia government. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trade Practices Commission and the Prices Surveillance Authority to administer the Trade Practices Act 1974...
(ACCC) declined to take action in the case.
Acquisition
In 1995 Connect was sold to three major investors: National Australia BankNational Australia Bank
National Australia Bank is one of the four largest financial institutions in Australia in terms of market capitalisation and customers. NAB is ranked 17th largest bank in the world measured by market capitalisation...
, Sirius Technologies and AAPT
AAPT
AAPT is Australia's third largest land line telecommunications company and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telecom New Zealand. The company is a member of the Infrastructure Assurance Advisory Group for the Critical Infrastructure Protection branch of the Attorney-General's...
. AAPT executive John Stuckey was appointed Chief Executive Officer.
In 1998 AAPT acquired the remaining two thirds of Connect, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. Their aim was to consolidate existing business Internet services with those provided by Connect and take advantage of the technically proficient technical team when launching their Smartchat brand. In 2000 AAPT was bought by Telecom New Zealand
Telecom New Zealand
Telecom New Zealand is a New Zealand-wide communications service provider , providing fixed line telephone services, a mobile network, an internet service provider , a major ICT provider to NZ businesses , and a wholesale network infrastructure provider to other NZ CSPs...
.
Founders
Following the sale of Connect in 1995, Hugh Irvine started an ICT and software development consultancy called Open Systems Consultants. This company specialises in the development and support of software for ISPs and Telecommunications providers, such as user administration and authentication software.Chris Chaundy remained with Connect until the early 2000s, following which he joined Comindico
COMindico
COMindico was an Australian IP telecommunications carrier. It started as IPTel in 2000 by Wayne Passlow with the backing of AGL, AMP, JPMorganChase, James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch ....
.
In 1999 both Irvine and Chaundy were inducted into the Australian Internet Awards' Hall of Fame.