PHNET HISTORY

The Philippine Network Foundation (PHNET), Inc. is a consortium of institutions which established and operates the Philippine-wide area computer network called PHNET, formerly known as the Department of Science and Technology(DOST) Philnet project, with access to the Internet.

PHNET was created with the support of the (DOST) and the Industrial Research Foundation (IRF). It traces its roots to June 1993 when the DOST convened a Technical Committee composed of representatives from DOST (MIS, PCASTRD, and ASTI), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), De La Salle University (DLSU), and the University of the Philippines at Diliman (UPD) and University of the Philippines at Los Banos (UPLB), to study the viability of establishing such a network.

Phase 1 of the DOST project began in July 1993 with a limited electronic facility linking DOST, ADMU, DLSU, and UPD. Local data were transferred from one institution to the other with the use of UUCP. Victoria University of Technology (VUT) in Australia, through the institutional ties with ADMU, became the gateway to the Internet while ADMU acted as the local relay hub for the Philippines.

With the overwhelming success of Phase 1, the DOST committed additional support for the continuation of the project to Phase 2. The coverage of PHNET was enlarged to 10 members with the inclusion of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu, St. Louis University (SLU) in Baguio, Xavier University (XU) in Cagayan de Oro, and the Industrial Research Foundation (IRF). In addition, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Mosaic Communications (MOZCOM), and the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) joined as the initial set supporting members and provided critical help for the growth of PHNET. Phase 2 of the project was successfully completed when 64 Kbps leased line connections were effected among its members and full access to the Internet was established to the U.S. via a 64 Kbps international leased line in March 29 1994.The project was operational only four months after the DOST approval.

From the initial 10 members, PHNET has grown considerably to include over 50 different organizations in the major cities of the Philippines. To oversee the development of PHNET, it has a governing board composed of the heads or representatives of the founding members and an administrative and technical staff which takes care of the operational concerns of PHNET.