UUNET

UUNET, founded in 1987, was one of the first and largest commercial Internet service providers and one of the early Tier 1 networks. It was based in Northern Virginia. Today, UUNET is an internal brand of Verizon Business (formerly MCI).^{[citation needed]}

History

Background

Prior to its founding, access to

Early existence

With funding in the form of a loan from

In 1996, UUNET was acquired by MFS on 30 April 1996. This was an independent acquisition unrelated to the acquisition of MFS by Worldcom. However, as MFS was a public company and the acquisition made the company a Wall Street darling,[3] it likely influenced Worldcom's decision to pursue MFS.^[4]

In 1996, UUNET was acquired by

In 2005, its Internet service and infrastructure, assigned AS701, maintained the highest outdegree of any ISP.^{[clarification needed][6][7]}

Verizon

In 2006, WorldCom was purchased by

• 1987 – UUNET Communications Services is founded and passes its first traffic via the CompuServe Network on 12 May using UUCP (Unix to Unix Copy Protocol).
• 1989 – UUNET becomes a for-profit corporation.
• 1990 – UUNET launches AlterNet.
• 1991 – UUNET participates in the founding of the Commercial Internet Exchange Association.
• 1992 - UUNET with MFS co-creates MAE-East, for a time the world's busiest Internet exchange and "center of the internet".
• 1994 – Microsoft paid $16.4 million for a 15 percent share of the company.
• 1995 – In May, UUNET is listed on the
  dot-com boom
  .
• 1995 – UUNET Technologies Inc places a takeover bid against
  Unipalm Pipex.^[12]
• 1996 – UUNET Technologies agreed to a merger with the Microsoft backed
  MFS Communications Company.^[13]
• 1996 – Metropolitan Fiber Systems (MFS) acquires UUNET for $2 Billion on 12 August 1996. This marked the day UUNET stopped existing as an independent company.
• 1996 –
  WorldCom
  acquires MFS on New Year's Eve – 31 Dec. at 11:58 p.m EST for $12.4 billion.
• 1997 – Usenet death penalty (UDP) issued against UUNET, and lifted a week later.
• 1997 – On 10 November,
  WorldCom and MCI
  announced their US$37 billion merger including combining internetMCI & UUNET Internet operations.
• 1998 – The combined
  MCI WorldCom opens for business on 15 September after being given the go-ahead from the DOJ, subsequent to divesting internet MCI.^[14]
• 1998 –
  WorldCom acquires CompuServe Network Services from H&R Block and ANS Communications from AOL
  . Both become part of UUNET in 1999.
• 1999 – On 5 October, MCI Worldcom announces its intentions to buy
  Sprint
  for $129 billion.
• 2000 – The European Commission and DOJ denied the MCI WorldCom / Sprint merger on Antitrust Grounds.
• 2001 – The UUNET brand is folded into
  WorldCom
  's product line and disappears.
• 2002 – WorldCom
  massive $11 billion accounting scandal
  .
• 2003 – The UUNET brand re-emerges as
  WorldCom
  's wholesale-only brand.
• 2004 – WorldCom
  emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and renames itself to MCI
  , still using the UUNET brand for wholesale business.
• 2005 – MCI again drops the UUNET brand for wholesale business. The name is no longer in use.
• 2006 – Verizon acquires MCI, including its UUNET subsidiary, now known as Verizon Business. AS701 remains the backbone of Verizon Business although its origin dates back to 1990 when it was under the UUNET flag.

• List of companies headquartered in Northern Virginia

References