What is the Internet, how it works and who owns it

Trends explain how the Internet works, what it consists of and who controls it

The Internet is a global network that connects devices around the world and gives users many opportunities: work, study, conduct business, and so on. Nowadays, literally all life processes depend on the performance of the Internet. Trends publishes a translation of the material Internal Pointers, which provides a detailed analysis of the architecture of the Internet.

Computer networks are complex entities that vary in size, availability, and technology. Thus, the intra-house network in terms of size, structure, equipment and functionality is very different from the one that connects two cities. This diversity of networks makes it difficult for them to work together. However, the solution lies in the internet or the Internet.

An interconnection is a type of network that connects multiple networks and bridges their differences so that they can interact as compatible.

The main public network is called the Internet. Anyone can access the internet using a device—computer, phone, tablet, and so on—to exchange information and share resources.

How the Internet works from a hardware point of view

The Internet is made up of three physical components: cables, routers, and networks. Technicians define Internet infrastructure as the combination of Internet hardware and the software that runs on it.

Cables

The Internet is made up of many fiber optic cables that connect several small networks together. These cables carry information from one network to another in the form of optical signals. Our entire planet is covered with internet cables, except for Antarctica. At the same time, many are located under water to cover vast distances. For example, the Atlantic Crossing 1 (AC-1) cable that links the US to Europe is 14 km long.

Map of all internet cables (Photo: International Telecommunication Union)

Routers

Another important element of the Internet are routers that forward data between access points. Thus, routers are responsible for ensuring that a message sent from computer A reaches computer B as quickly and without failure as possible.

Information can be transmitted along several routes, and the function of routers is to choose the best one. This is especially important when the network is congested—if many other computers are trying to communicate at the same time—or if the shortcut is blocked due to a network problem.

Traffic routing (Photo: Khan Academy)

Networks

All devices connect to networks to access the internet. For example, a home laptop or tablet is connected to a local area network inside the house (LAN). These devices can communicate without any problem as they are part of the same network. However, communication outside of these networks requires the support of an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The ISP provides such Internet access and other Internet-related support.

Internet Service Providers

ISPs are conceptually organized into three levels or tiers. Providers third level are small regional companies that sell Internet connectivity to end users. They usually don’t own the equipment needed to transfer data and buy connections from ISPs. second level. These ISPs are bigger and they own the cables and other network equipment. For example, Comcast in the US or Vodafone in Europe are among the largest ISPs in the world. Usually these companies cooperate to move data. This process is called peering.

However, second-tier ISPs do not cover the entire globe, so they buy services (transit) from ISPs first levelwho own intercontinental cables (AT&T, Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier). It is worth noting that some second-tier ISPs may also sell Internet access directly to customers.

As a rule, smaller companies resort to the services of first-level providers when they need to establish data transmission over long distances. However, if you want to connect two close cities, peering will suffice.

Fast peering is possible thanks to Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): these are rooms and entire buildings filled with computers and routers that connect multiple ISPs together and help shorten paths for Internet traffic. IXPs are located all over the world, and today there are about 240 such points in 180 regions.

IXP card (Photo: Datacentermap)

In general, sending a message over the internet means sending data to multiple ISPs and IXPs, their routers and cables. The actual path is determined by the location of the recipient who will receive the message, and often also by commercial agreements between ISPs.

Wireless devices

There are several types of wireless connections that allow devices such as laptops, tablets, phones, smart TVs, cars, and so on to communicate. The most popular are the Wi-Fi connection, officially known as the IEEE 802.11 standard, and the 5G mobile network. They are based on different technologies and protocols, but they provide another way to transmit a signal from a user’s device to an Internet provider. The data reaches the ISP and then the process looks like a regular internet connection.

Another emerging technology is satellite Internet access. It can be useful where internet cables are not available. Currently, satellite Internet projects are being developed by a number of large companies: SpaceX, OneWeb, Amazon.

Starlink satellite dish (Photo: SpaceX)

Internet protocol

Moving data on the Internet requires special instructions: how to lay cables, organize the smooth operation of routers and computers, convert signals, write network software, and so on. Such instructions are known as network protocols. They define how information should be transferred between different computers so that they can “understand” each other.

The Internet Protocol Suite is the network protocol that governs the Internet: it ensures that a message can travel across the network and reach its destination. Essentially, it is a suite of Internet protocols that includes two important subprotocols: Transmission Control (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP).

Another way to describe how computer networks should work is the open systems interconnection model (OSI model). It is more detailed than the Internet protocol suite and includes hardware specifications. This model is quite complex and is rather theoretical.

The Internet protocol suite has become the standard for today’s networks, but it is based on many of the ideas originally formulated in the OSI model.

A Brief History of the Internet

The Internet began as an experimental project under the auspices of the US Department of Defense in 1960. At that time, computers were expensive and slow, so the idea was to share them over a network and distribute their computing power to multiple users at the same time.

Developed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, since 1972 DARPA), a Pentagon research agency, the Internet’s predecessor was originally called ARPANET. Initially, the network was very small and connected several research centers in the United States. It was used only by scientists and technicians.

As technology advanced, other computer networks began to appear, including those outside the United States. Each network was based on its own technology, making it difficult to share data between users working on different networks. For this reason, around 1970, the ARPA project created a working group on intergrids. As a result of the research, various protocols have been developed, including the Internet Protocol Suite.

In the early 1980s, the Internet Protocol Suite was adopted internationally on existing networks, and ISPs began to emerge a few years later. Since then, the entire network has grown rapidly. The OPTE project visualized the development of the Internet from 1997 to 2021.

Who controls the internet

To this day, the Internet operates without a central governing body. However, there are many organizations that regulate the structure and develop rules for the operation of networks. The most important ones are:

Internet Architecture Board (IAB) – ensures the correct operation of the Internet. It consists of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF). The former writes protocols and other technical documents, while the latter is engaged in long-term research (new ideas, new protocols).

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – assigns identifiers to devices and services operating on the Internet around the world. ICANN works with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

Domain name registration process (Photo: ICANN)

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) — coordinates telecommunications operations and services around the world. ITU establishes and publishes rules and standards relating to electronic communications and broadcasting technologies such as radio, television, satellites, telephone and the Internet.

Internet Society (ISOC) promotes the open development and use of the Internet by people around the world. The Society publishes reports on Internet issues and creates tools, surveys, and policy recommendations to improve its use.

Internet applications

Many applications are based on the Internet infrastructure. The most popular of these is probably the World Wide Web (WWW) or the Net: a collection of text documents and resources (images, videos, and so on) accessible via the Internet. Web documents and resources are stored on special computers connected to the Internet called web servers.

The World Wide Web is based on the Domain Name System (DNS) protocols to resolve a domain name to an IP address, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to request the content of a web page from that IP address, and the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol to serve the web. -site through a secure encrypted connection.