AUSTPAC
AUSTPAC was a public X.25 network operated by Telstra. Started by Telecom Australia in 1982, AUSTPAC was Australia's first public packet-switched data network, supporting applications such as online betting, financial applications (the Australian Taxation Office has made use of AUSTPAC) and remote terminal access to academic institutions, some of which maintained their connections to AUSTPAC up until the mid to late 1990s. Austpac could be accessed by dial-up to a PAD or by linking an X.25 node to the network permanently.
Austpac Shutdown
On July 31, 2006, Telstra announced the following timetable for the shutdown of Austpac:
From July 31, 2006, Austpac dedicated and dialup services via X.25, X.28, X.32 & X.75 will no longer be sold to new customers.
From December 31, 2007, Austpac dedicated and dialup services via X.25, X.28, X.32 & X.75 will no longer be sold to existing customers.
On June 30, 2008, the Austpac network will be decommissioned and will no longer be available to customers.
Austpac will continue to be provisioned to Argent and Digital Data Services (DDS) customers to access and manage their service, until further notice. Argent and DDS customers' service will not be terminated as a result of the withdrawal of Austpac.