How the Internet arrived in Spain and its impact on our lives

Four decades ago, in a laboratory of the Higher Technical School of Telecommunications Engineers At the Polytechnic University of Madrid, a group of professors and technicians decided to press the "send" button and try their luck with an email crossing the network. That seemingly routine gesture became the starting point of the first internet connection in Spain, a milestone that no one at the time imagined would end up changing the way we communicate, work, shop, learn and relate to each other.

Since then, the country has gone from a few computers connected to slow and noisy telephone modems to a society where virtually all households have broadband, even in rural and where we carry the internet in our pockets thanks to smartphones. In these four decades, Spain has gone from experimental trials in universities to becoming a hyperconnected societywhere the network is already a basic infrastructure as essential as electricity or water.

The day Spain connected to the internet for the first time

El December 2th 1985A team of scientists and engineers from the Higher Technical School of Telecommunications Engineers of the Polytechnic University of Madrid managed to establish the first official internet connection in SpainIt was a test email sent from a laboratory at ETSIT, which, upon receiving a reply, confirmed that communication through the network had worked correctly.

One of the key figures at that moment was the professor Juan QuemadaProfessor Emeritus at the UPM, who was the one who pressed the famous "send" button. He himself has recalled on more than one occasion how, after sending that message and receiving the reply, the whole team entered a kind of “Technological ecstasy” upon verifying that the connection workedThey came from a time when letters took weeks to arrive by post, so seeing a message cross borders in a matter of seconds was almost science fiction.

In that context, Spain still relied heavily on analog processes: communication by letter, landline telephones and paper documentationTherefore, that first email was not just a technical curiosity, but the beginning of a profound transformation of work habits and collaboration between universities and research centers.

The most curious thing is that, at the time, the protagonists of this milestone weren't truly aware of what they were setting in motion. Quemada himself has explained that they perceived it as a significant progress in research and cooperation projectsBut without imagining at all that they were opening the door to a network that would end up "turning everything upside down" in the daily lives of millions of people.

The need to take this step was largely driven by Spain's imminent entry into the European Economic CommunityTo participate in European projects and collaborate with other universities on the continent, it was essential to have email and connection to international academic networksThat test with a telephone modem effectively meant the entry of the Spanish university system into the vast network of networks.

A network that was born in the university and in the laboratories

In his early years, Internet in Spain was restricted almost entirely to the university and scientific sphereThe connection was mainly used for exchanging very basic emails and transferring files between research centers. There was no browsing websites, social media, or watching videos. streaming: its use was primarily academic and technical.

The development of the network in those early years was closely linked to infrastructures such as RedIrisRedIRIS, the academic and research communications network that began connecting universities, public research centers, and official bodies. Thanks to RedIRIS, Spain was able to integrate into the European research platforms and university networks, facilitating collaboration with other countries just on the eve of full integration into the European Economic Community.

With ThereIn addition to university teams, other key players began to participate. Among them, the following stood out: Infovíaa service powered by Telefónica that acted as pioneer of commercial internet access for the general public. Infovía allowed users to connect their modems to a national data network and, from there, access different services and, shortly afterwards, the global internet itself.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of that first connection, the Polytechnic University of Madrid has brought together several of these pioneers, along with top international figures. Among the virtual guests are: Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn, considered the "fathers of the internet" for being the creators of the protocol TCP / IP, the fundamental technology that makes it possible to send data over the network between computers that use very different systems and networks.

That protocol was key to solving what many described as “the Tower of Babel of the internet”There were numerous data networks that couldn't communicate with each other, and the Internet Protocol (IP) was created precisely to enable them all to communicate. In Spain, the deployment of the IP protocol during the 1980s marked a true turning point. Boot of the internet as we understand it today.

From modems and pioneering portals to broadband

Following the initial university connections, the following began to appear in Spain: first commercial internet access providersUsers who ventured to connect back then used telephone modems that emitted those characteristic beeps and chirps while establishing the connection, occupying the telephone line and browsing at speeds that would be maddening today.

In that first stage of popularization, the great ones also emerged. internet portals from the late nineties, such as Terra, Ozú, Yupi, or Ya.com. These sites functioned as gateways to the internet, concentrating news, search engines, email services, chat rooms, and links, and for many Spanish users they were their first real contact with web browsing beyond university or professional use.

The real digital explosion came with the ADSL implementationwhich allowed for a permanent connection without blocking the telephone line and increased download speed, and tools emerged to perform speed testsCoinciding with the turn of the century, ADSL paved the way for e-commerce take-off, the increase in online content consumption and the emergence of the first social networks which began to change the way people interacted, especially among younger people.

Gradually, the internet ceased to be a tool limited to technical fields and became incorporated into everyday life: it began to be used for consult information, send mass emails, manage procedures, read digital press or chat in real time. The network was gaining prominence in the economy, culture, and public administration.

With the widespread adoption of broadband and the continuous improvement of infrastructure, Spain has climbed the ranks to become one of the leading countries best connected in the world. The fiber optics to the home and new mobile networks, along with secure and fast DNSThey have completed a process that, seen in perspective, began with that modest email test in 1985.

The smartphone revolution and life without the internet "before"

If there was a moment that definitively cemented the internet as an inseparable part of everyday life, it was the smartphone revolutionThe smartphone literally put the internet in users' pockets, allowing them to connect anywhere, anytime, and transforming Spain into a true hyperconnected society.

Before the internet permeated everything, life worked differently: to find a phone number or an address, it was essential to use the internet. yellow pages or printed guidesIf you got lost in a city, the normal thing to do was to use a paper map or ask people on the street, because there were no maps. Google Maps nor apps navigation that will guide you step by step.

The information was sought in encyclopedias and reference books, not in Wikipedia nor in online search engines. Today, however, a few clicks or a quick search on your mobile phone are enough to access almost any data; that's why it's increasingly important to know how to identify fake news and reliable sources on the internet.

Communication was another story altogether: if you were late for an appointment, there was no... WhatsApp Nor could Telegram provide notifications in seconds. Instead, they resorted to colloquial expressions face-to-face or calls from phone boothsAnd often it was simply assumed that one would have to wait patiently for the other person. Mobile phones, when they first arrived, were basic and without internet access, and memorizing important phone numbers was the norm.

As for leisure, series could only be watched on television, following the weekly broadcast of each episode, and if you missed it, there were no platforms like NetflixPrime Video or HBO that would allow you to retrieve it on demand. The music was playing in walkman, music system or radio cassettemanually changing tracks on tapes or disks, a far cry from the convenience of Spotify and other current streaming platforms.

From storing data on floppy disks to living in the cloud

Another major change has to do with the way in which store and share informationBefore services like Google Drive or the storage In the cloud, the documents were stored in floppy disks, CDs or external hard drivesLosing a physical storage device could mean losing important work, photos, or files forever.

The move to the cloud has allowed users to Access your documents from any device with an internet connectionShare them in seconds with others and maintain automatic backups. This same change has driven new forms of remote collaboration, shared file editing, and teamwork without everyone needing to be in the same office or classroom.

Nor can we forget the impact of messaging services and the instant communication applicationsToday it's normal to maintain work, family, or friend groups on different apps, share photos, documents, and links in real time, and organize our daily lives from our phones. Forty years ago, however, organizing anything involved meet in person or talk on a landline phone.often without the flexibility we now take for granted.

Even the video games have changed radically: before, to play with friends you had to meet in the same room or share the same consoleNow, online games allow you to connect with people from all over the world, coordinate via voice chat, and even compete in professional esports leagues.

This entire hyperconnected environment is a direct legacy of that slow process that began with experimental networks, modest servers, and rudimentary email, and which today translates into a constant presence of digital services in virtually every facet of life.

Spain today: an almost fully connected country

The most recent data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) They confirm the extent to which the internet has become integrated into the lives of the Spanish population. According to their surveys, around 96,3% of people between 16 and 74 years old use the internet regularlyThat means that, for all practical purposes, almost all working-age citizens are connected in one way or another.

More than half of the population, around 60%, has made online purchases in the last three months, reflecting the widespread use of E-commerce in products as diverse as clothing, electronics, food, or digital services. Online shopping has gone from being something new to a routine perfectly accepted by a large part of society.

The INE also highlights that approximately the 38% of users already use artificial intelligence toolsalthough in many cases you may not even be fully aware of it. These applications range from virtual assistants and personalized recommendation systems to spam filters, automatic translators, and customer service chatbots.

In terms of digital skills, close to 66,5% of the population has basic or even advanced skillsThis includes knowing how to manage emails, use word processors, browse securely, configure devices, and take advantage of collaborative cloud tools. Although there is still room for improvement, the leap compared to just two decades ago is enormous.

In terms of infrastructure, the percentage of households with internet connection Broadband reach the 97,4%Most people use this connection for tasks related to the communication, information, online banking and education, while to a lesser extent it is used for activities such as the sale of goods, political and social participation or the active search for employment.

The Internet as the backbone of society and the economy

Four decades after that first connection, the internet has established itself as the backbone of Spanish societyIt is no longer a simple external tool, but a critical infrastructure that supports a large part of the country's economic, administrative and social functioning.

Relations with public administrations are increasingly relying on online processing: submission of documents, applications, certificates, appointments And countless procedures are now carried out electronically. This change has simplified many processes, although it has also forced institutions to guarantee data accessibility and security.

In the workplace, the teleworking It has gained ground, especially after the changes accelerated by the pandemic. Videoconference meetings, remote access to corporate resources, and collaboration tools allow many people to perform their tasks from home or on the go. Without the internet infrastructure deployed over the last few decades, all of this would have been impossible.

Leisure and entertainment also depend heavily on the internet today. video and music streaming platforms They have changed the way we consume audiovisual content, and online gaming services have generated new forms of entertainment and socialization. Instant messaging, meanwhile, has become the primary channel of interpersonal communication for millions of users.

This omnipresence of the internet has also transformed the way we learn, consume and relateFrom online courses and distance learning to reviews, price comparison sites and digital communities, the internet permeates virtually every aspect of daily life, to the point that many people find it hard to imagine how everything was organized before its arrival.

The role of artificial intelligence and the future of the internet

Currently, the internet is immersed in a a new qualitative leap thanks to artificial intelligence (IA)AI algorithms are involved in optimizing data traffic, predicting network failures, personalizing searches and content, detecting cyberattacks in real time, and automating tasks that not so long ago required human intervention.

However, some authoritative voices, such as himself Juan QuemadaThey urge caution regarding expectations. In their opinion, the AI ​​phenomenon is something “overblown” in terms of public discourseThe algorithms that make many of these applications possible have existed for years; what has really boosted their capabilities is the massive accumulation of data on the internet, which allows models to be trained that can imitate us with an accuracy that is sometimes even unsettling.

For the average user, AI manifests itself in virtual assistants more efficient, recommendation systems that seem to know us in detailAutomatic filters that separate important emails from spam, or tools that help write texts and summarize documents. All of this relies on the enormous amount of information generated daily on the internet, from social media posts to browsing histories and purchase records.

Beyond AI, many experts point out that the next big revolution could come with the quantum computingThis technology promises to take communication security, computing power for solving complex problems, and the processing of large volumes of data to a new level. Although still in a relatively early stage, its future integration with internet infrastructure could redefine the role of the internet in society.

In parallel, the need to strengthen the ciberseguridad This is becoming increasingly clear. As more critical services rely on the internet, cybercriminals' interest grows, making real-time protection systems essential. Here again, artificial intelligence plays a key role by helping to detect anomalous patterns and attacks before they spread.

Looking at this entire journey, from that first email sent in 1985 to today's hyperconnected, AI-driven society, the magnitude of the change becomes clearer: Spain has gone from experimenting with slow and rudimentary connections in university laboratories to depend on a network that acts as the country's nervous system, articulating the economy, administration, leisure, education and personal relationships, and preparing the ground for new transformations that, perhaps, we cannot yet imagine.

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Isaac

Passionate writer about the world of bytes and technology in general. I love sharing my knowledge through writing, and that's what I'll do on this blog, show you all the most interesting things about gadgets, software, hardware, tech trends, and more. My goal is to help you navigate the digital world in a simple and entertaining way.