Computing Dictionary
Internet backbone definition
communications, networking High-speed networks that carry
Internet traffic.
These
communications networks are provided by companies such as
AT&T,
GTE,
IBM,
MCI,
Netcom,
Sprint,
UUNET and consist of high-speed links in the
T1,
T3,
OC1 and
OC3 ranges. The
backbones carry
Internet traffic around the world and meet at
Network Access Points (NAPs).
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) connect either directly to a backbone, or they connect to a larger ISP with a connection to a backbone.
The
topology of the "backbone" and its interconnections may once have resembled a spine with ribs connected along its length but is now almost certainly more like a fishing net wrapped around the world with many circular paths.
[Map?]
(1998-07-02)
