NLnet; History

<!DOCTYPE html> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"/><meta charset="utf-8" /><meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff" /><meta name="robots" content="index,follow" /><link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico" /><link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/favicon.ico" /><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/nlnet.css" media="screen, projection" /><link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="NLnet News" href="/feed.atom" /><title>NLnet; History</title> </head> <body class="history" id="topofpage"> <div class="notice"><a href="#main" class="skip">To main content</a><div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col12" id="call_banner"><strong><span><a href="/news/2025/20250201-call.html">Send in your ideas. 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The foundation (in Dutch called "Stichting NLnet" or shortly "NLnet") played a major role in raising the so-called pan-European "UNIX" Network and the commercial and public internet network provision in the Netherlands.</p> <p>Some NLnet achievements are:</p> <ul class="pointer"> <li>the first internet backbone in Holland,</li> <li>the first local dial-in and ISDN infrastructure with full country coverage, and</li> <li>the definition and implementation of a low cost connectivity structure.</li> </ul> <p>These activities helped Amsterdam become the best connected exchange point for European internet traffic, and make the first connection to the open internet outside of the United States. NLnet and its international siblings that together formed the "EUnet" bootstrapped the internet in Europe and beyond. People like <a href="/people/TeusHagen/">Teus Hagen</a>, <a href="/people/JaapAkkerhuis">Jaap Akkerhuis</a> (both inductees in the <a href="https://internethalloffame.org">Internet Hall of Fame</a>), Piet Beertema, Daniel Karrenberg (also part of the <a href="https://internethalloffame.org">Internet Hall of Fame</a>) and <a href="/people/TedLindgreen">Ted Lindgreen</a>, and the <a href="/people">board members, volunteers and later employees of NLnet</a> jointly played a major role in building the internet in Europe and beyond. .</p> <p>In the summer of 1997, the Foundation sold its commercialized internet provision activities to UUNET (the internet subsidiary of WorldCom), which after a series of acquisitions and mergers ended up in today's <a href="http://www.uunet.net/nl/">Verizon</a>. Since then, the foundation is a public benefit organisation that supports the development of the open internet.</p> <p>A somewhat more elaborate description of the NLnet history can be found in the following articles:</p> <ul class="items"> <li><a href="199802-nluug.html">Een nieuwe toekomst voor de Stichting NLnet</a> <img src="/image/nl.png" valign="baseline" width="11" height="11" border="0" />; published in <a href="http://www.nluug.nl/">NLUUG</a> Newsletter volume 6, number 1, february 1998</li> <li><a href="199804-usenix.html">A second start for the NLnet Foundation: Some History</a> ENGLISH; published in <a href="http://www.usenix.org/">USENIX</a> Association's magazine <i>;login:</i>, April 1998</li> <li><a href="https://www.netkwesties.nl/documenten/25%20jaar%20internet%20in%20Nederland.pdf">25 jaar internet in Nederland</a> [ <a href="25jaarinternetinNederland.pdf">local mirror</a> ] De fascinerende herinneringen van de Nederlandse pioniers die Amsterdam tot centrum van het Europese internet maakten. <img src="/image/nl.png" valign="baseline" width="11" height="11" border="0" />; published in 2014 by <a href="http://www.netkwesties.nl/">Netkwesties</a></li> </ul> <p>Today, the Foundation still actively engages with the global internet community in many ways. The joint goal is to create a better, safer and more secure internet for tomorrow.</p> </div> <div class="col4 reorder"> <div class="part"> <h3>Search</h3> <form onsubmit="/js/searchbutton.js" method="get" accept-charset="UTF-8" action="/search/static.html" class="sitesearch"><input id="searsia-input" type="text" name="q" class="form-control" value="" autocomplete="off" /><label for="searsia-input"><span class="hide">Search</span></label><input type="submit" id="searsiasubmit" name="submit" value="Search" /><label for="searsiasubmit"><span class="hide">Submit search</span></label></form> </div> <div> <h1>Foundation</h1> <ul class="pointer"> <li><a href="/foundation/index.html">Mission</a></li> <li><a href="/foundation/can_do.html">What we do</a></li> <li><a href="/foundation/history/index.html">History</a></li> <li><a href="/people/index.html">People</a></li> <li><a href="/foundation/jobs/">Job openings</a></li> <li><a href="/foundation/media-coverage/">NLnet in the media</a></li> <li><a href="/foundation/annuals/index.html">Annual reports</a></li> <li><a href="/foundation/ANBI.html">ANBI</a></li> <li><a href="/contact/">Contact</a></li> </ul> <p class="box marge"> <h5>Currently open for proposals:</h5> </p> <ul class="pointer"> <li><a href="/commonsfund/">NGI0 Commons Fund</a></li> <li><a href="/taler/">NGI TALER</a></li> <li><a href="/mobifree/">NGI Mobifree</a></li> <li><a href="/fediversity/">NGI Fediversity</a></li> </ul> <div><a href="/foundation/jobs/regionalrepresentative.html" class="part part_link part_green"><img src="/image/git-merge-2.svg" width="40" height="40" alt="git merge icon" /> <h5 class="color_white">Job openings</h5> <font color="white">NGI Zero is looking for Regional Representatives.</font> </a></div> <div><a href="https://podcast.nlnet.nl/@NGIZero" class="part part_link part_blue"><img src="/image/ic_antenna_white.svg" width="40" height="40" alt="podcast logo, antenna with radio waves" /> <h5 class="color_white">Listen to our podcast</h5> <font color="white">Conversations with people building the Next Generation Internet</font> </a></div>  </div> <div class="part"> <h3>Events</h3> <p class="h-event"><a href="/events/20250201/FOSDEM/index.html"><span class="dt-start dt-end">2025-02-01</span> - <span class="p-name">Let's meet at FOSDEM 2025</span></a></p> <p class="h-event"><a href="/events/20241227/38C3/index.html"><span class="dt-start dt-end">2024-12-27</span> - <span class="p-name">38C3 Here We Come!</span></a></p> <p class="h-event"><a href="/events/20241128/index.html"><span class="dt-start dt-end">2024-11-28</span> - <span class="p-name">Webinar: Ask Us For Help: Practical Support for NGI Beneficiaries</span></a></p> <ul class="pointer"> <li><a href="/webinars">Upcoming webinars & recordings</a></li> <li><a href="/events">Event archive</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="part"> <h3>News</h3> <p><a href="/news/2025/20250321-call-announcement-core.html">56 Projects Receive Grants for Improving Core Technological Building Blocks</a> 2025-03-21</p> <p><a href="/news/2025/20250201-call.html">Apply for funding before April 1st 2025</a> 2025-02-01</p> <p><a href="/news/2025/20250122-project-selection-pilots.html">Seven New Projects Selected to Strengthen the NGI Pilot Programmes</a> 2025-01-22</p> <p><a href="/news/2025/20250120-FOSDEM-talk-Michiel.html">Michiel Leenaars Speaks at FOSDEM about NGI and Europe's Digital Sovereignty</a> 2025-01-20</p> <p><a href="/news/2025/20250101-announcing-grantees-June-call.html">50 Free and Open Source Projects Selected for NGI Zero grants</a> 2025-01-01</p> <ul class="pointer"> <li><a href="/news">More news</a></li> </ul> </div> <div><a href="/help" class="part part_link part_green"><img src="/image/ic_hand.svg" alt="" /><h5 class="color_white">Want to help?</h5>Help us by protecting open source and its users with 5 minutes of your time. </a></div> <div><a href="/donating/" class="part part_link part_blue"><img src="/image/ic_flower.svg" alt="icon of a flower" /><h5 class="color_white">Donate today</h5>Your donation can help grow the future! 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NLnet; History