The
PTT pioneered the
virtual circuit variant of
packet switching beginning in 1971 through the work of
Rémi Després at
CNET. Després demonstrated the technology on the experimental
RCP network. Virtual circuits became part of the
X.25 standard used on
Transpac and
public data networks worldwide. Many public networks later switched to the Internet protocol suite and became part of the Internet. The
CYCLADES research project was directed by
Louis Pouzin at the
IRIA (later, INRIA) beginning in 1972. The
Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) incorporates concepts first implemented in this network. Public dialup information, messaging and e-commerce services, were pioneered through
Minitel, launched in 1982, which provided
videotex, information and services, for users in their homes. Minitel was the world's most successful online service prior to the
World Wide Web. FNET, the French branch of
EUnet, converted from UUCP to TCP/IP in 1986. During the summer of 1988, the INRIA connected its
Sophia-Antipolis unit to the
NSFNet via
Princeton using a satellite link leased to France Telecom and MCI. The link became operational on 8 August 1988, and allowed INRIA researchers to access the US network and allowed
NASA researchers access to an astronomical database based in Strasbourg. This was the first international connection to NSFNET and the first time that French networks were connected directly to a network using TCP/IP, the Internet protocol. In 1992, almost simultaneously,
French Data Network and Altern (via the Minitel service 3616 ALTERN) enabled the general public to connect to the
Internet. Access to the
World Wide Web did not yet exist at the time and the services offered were
email, the news of the
Usenet network, access to many software archives documentation, and access to Internet network machines. RENATER was the first network for research and higher education in France to use the Internet protocol suite in 1993. Initially, the Internet was only available to a small number of users in a few companies and universities.
AOL was a success in France between 1996 and 2000 through its widely distributed free CDs, with attractive prices for low speeds. The general public began to have access to Internet starting from 1994. The first real public
Internet service provider (ISP) was
WorldNet which opened in February 1994 at the Computer Associates Expo.
FranceNet, founded by
Rafi Haladjian, launched its service in June 1994. These were followed by order
Calvacom,
Internet Way and
Imaginet. Internet access became widespread in the early 2000s with the emergence of
ADSL. In 2007,
Free was one of the first ISPs in the world to deploy
IPv6 service using the
6rd mechanism invented by Rémi Després, although had been the first French ISP to offer IPv6 connectivity to their ADSL users in March 2003. == Lines ==