AUSTPAC was a public

X.25 X.25 is an ITU-T standard protocol suite for packet-switched data communication in wide area networks (WAN). It was originally defined by the International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT, now ITU-T) in a series of drafts ...

network operated by

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 ...

. Started by Telecom Australia in 1982, AUSTPAC was Australia's first public packet-switched data network, supporting applications such as

online betting Online gambling is any kind of gambling conducted on the internet. This includes virtual poker, casinos and sports betting. The first online gambling venue opened to the general public was ticketing for the Liechtenstein International Lottery in ...

, financial applications (the

Australian Taxation Office The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is an Australian statutory agency and the principal revenue collection body for the Australian Government. The ATO has responsibility for administering the Australian federal taxation system, superannuatio ...

has made use of AUSTPAC) and remote

terminal Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together * Terminal (telecommunication), a device communicating over a line * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output dev ...

access to academic institutions, some of which maintained their connections to AUSTPAC up until the mid to late 1990s. Austpac could be accessed by dial-up to a PAD or by linking an X.25 node to the network permanently. The Austpac general access telephone number was 01924 within Australia.Accessing Telecom Australia`s AUSTPAC service.
Compiled by Soft Beard 1990

Shutdown of Austpac

On 31 July 2006, Telstra announced the following timetable for the shutdown of Austpac: From 31 July 31 2006, Austpac dedicated and dialup services via X.25, X.28, X.32 &

X.75 X.75 is an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) (formerly CCITT) standard specifying the interface for interconnecting two X.25 X.25 is an ITU-T standard protocol suite for packet-switched data communication in wide area networks (WAN). ...

would no longer be sold to new customers. From 31 December 31 2007, Austpac dedicated and dialup services via X.25, X.28, X.32 & X.75 would no longer be sold to existing customers. On 30 June 30 2008, the Austpac network was decommissioned and was no longer be available to customers. Austpac continued to be provisioned to Argent and Digital Data Services (DDS) customers to access and manage their service, until further notice. Argent and DDS customers' service will not be terminated as a result of the withdrawal of Austpac.

References

* * * {{Citation , author1=Castro, A , author2=Stirzaker, L , title=The use of AUSTPAC at Deakin University for distance education , date=1986 , url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/153218285 , accessdate=11 August 2017

External links

Notes on Austpac
by Vorper VII, 28/9/1998
The Nomenclature Maze
by Katie Blake 1982 establishments in Australia Telstra Wide area networks X.25