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.