Historical role
What the organisation contributed
Donald Davies and his NPL team independently developed packet communication in the mid-1960s, coined the packet terminology and pursued efficient data communication for interactive computers.
Why it mattered
Shares network links efficiently among bursty digital traffic through packetisation, buffering and forwarding without requiring a dedicated end-to-end circuit.
Connected topics
Where this fits in ITEM
Evidence
Sources and further reading
- Donald Davies
National Physical Laboratory
- Packet Switching: The First Steps on the Road to the Information Society
NPL