Today, IP (Internet protocol) networks and applications are the heart of our communications. The Internet has become one of the most important sources of information and ways to connect with others. Many homes and most businesses also have their own internal IP based networks today. But work continues to develop new technologies and new applications to further advance these networks, and all of it can be linked back to an event twenty years ago.

In the early 1980s, IP networks were almost non-existent. However, starting in 1983, researchers from the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC) and the Defence Research Establishment Ottawa (now known as Defence R&D Canada, or DRDC Ottawa) undertook much of the early research in Canada on the imple- mentation of this type of network.

In the spring of 1985, that research led to Canada's first connection to the US based ARPANET when a network link was established between CRC and the University of Rochester in New York State. The origins of the Internet, and IP networking in general, can be traced back to ARPANET, or the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, built by the US Department of Defense in the 1960's. The purpose of the ARPANET was to test new technologies using network systems.

With that connection, Canada became the first location outside of the United States to be connected terrestrially to the ARPANET. This made a tremendous difference in Canada since researchers could now begin investigating applications that could benefit from the use of this type of network. This connection later evolved into Canada's first and longest-standing national TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) network, the DRENet.

Immediate results were soon observed. A connection was established from CRC with what is now DRDC Atlantic in Halifax, where they were able to use the link to ARPANET to connect with colleagues in the US to share infor- mation and findings. Basic research on network protocols was followed by work with various types of network infrastructure including wired and wireless links. CRC's research using this technology also helped Canada lead the way in developing video and audio application for the Internet, with the CBC and CRC working together to create the first site to offer radio over the Internet.

Over the years, contact between CRC and DRDC researchers and many companies has helped to spread the experience with IP based technology into products and services. CRC and DRDC have also worked with many universities and colleges to develop areas of study and experimentation.

Since the ARPANET connection was launched, Canada has become a world leader in many research areas that rely on IP networking technology. Canadian expertise has been developed in everything from fibre optics to voice over IP. CRC and DRDC continue to work on future technologies using IP networks in areas such as wireless communication technologies for military and civilian applications, network security, modelling and simulation in synthetic environments, broadband applications such as tele-surgery and e-learning, and new leading edge areas of research like networked virtual reality.

These research activities are often tied-in with other world-leading Canadian innovations like CANARIE's CA*net 4, another example of Canada leading the way in the networking field.

All of this research and innovation on IP based networks continues thanks to the early work done by researchers at CRC and DRDC using the ARPANET link.