Connexus Explained

Connexus
Type:	Public
Location:	Sydney, Australia
Area Served:	Australia
Industry:	Telecommunications
Products:	Virtual PBX Office phone systems NBN ADSL Mobile

Connexus is an Australian-owned and operated business telecommunications provider founded in 1989 and based in Sydney, Australia, which primarily caters to the business sector.^[1] Connexus specialises in business-grade phone, mobile and NBN.

Connexus is part of the MNF Group,^[2] one of Asia-Pacific's technology companies.

History

Connexus was founded by Greg Holloway in 1989 when he established a network of bulletin boards (BBS). BBS's were the original means of online communication prior to the modern-day internet.^[3] Connexus was one of Australia's first ISPs. Over the forthcoming years, Connexus expanded to four phone lines and the user base grew to over 1,000.^[4] In 1998 Connexus established local facilities in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and the Gold Coast (Service, 2012). In 2003, Connexus diversified its internet offering to supply business broadband for small to medium-sized businesses.^[5] In 2012, Connexus was acquired by MNF Group and relaunched in 2019 as a telecommunications provider targeted at small businesses.

Timeline

1989 - Connexus was founded.
1994 - Connexus followed Australia's universities in connecting permanently to the worldwide internet. Users were then able to connect to the internet, initially using a Unix-based text interface, and later through the Netscape browser.^[6]
1997 - Connexus required more capacity, and relocated its data centre to the Exchange Building on Collins Street, Melbourne.
1998 - Connexus established local facilities in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and the Gold Coast.
1999 - Connexus introduced Website Hosting and Domain Name Registration, and set up an exclusive access line and support area for businesses.
2001 - Connexus launched ADSL services, one of the first providers in Australia to do so. Download speeds up to 1.5 Mbit/s were supported initially.^[7]
2003 - Connexus introduced SDSL and SHDSL services,^[8] with throughput of up to 4 Mbit/s in both directions simultaneously.
2004 - CUp-to-date Cisco routers were installed. Australia-wide VPN (Virtual Private Network) services were introduced.^[9]
2005 - Connexus signed contracts with fibre optic providers,^[10] eventually offering speeds up to 1 Gbit/s.
2006 - ^[11] Connexus launched its CSN—Connexus Schools Network—service, providing content filtering, reporting and e-mail hosting for schools. Connexus is one of four providers approved by the Department of Education of Victoria.
2007 - Connexus offered 21 Mbit/s ADSL2+ nationwide.^[12]
2008 - High-speed wireless offered.
2009 - Connexus introduced Ethernet products offering links up to 1 Gbit/s for larger organisations.
2011 - Connexus launches hybrid products which offer multi-line redundancy against link failure, and up to 40 Mbit/s speed in both directions.
2012 - On 31 December, the ASX-listed MNF Group completed its acquisition of Connexus.
2019 - Connexus relaunched as telecommunications provider for small and medium businesses, specialising in Virtual PBX phone systems.

Products and services

Virtual PBX
ADSL/ADSL 2+
NBN
Ethernet
Mobile

Notes and References

News: Connexus solves the pain of technology for small businesses. 11 July 2019. CIO Australia. 15 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190715035229/https://www.cio.com.au/mediareleases/35034/connexus-solves-the-pain-of-technology-for-small/. 15 July 2019. live.
News: MyNetFone gets Connexus. Gliddon. Joshua. November 14, 2012. iTnews. 29 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20121218111011/http://www.itnews.com.au/News/322889,mynetfone-gets-connexus.aspx. 18 December 2012. live.
Zetter. Kim. How Humble BBS Begat Wired World. Wired. 3 April 2012. 2005-06-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20120326191604/http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2005/06/67776. 26 March 2012. live.
Web site: MICROSCOPE: Reinventing ISP - The end of a mover. Winterford. Brett. ARN. Brett Winterford. 30 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20100504162437/http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/41392/microscope_reinventing_isp_-_end_bandwith_mover/. 4 May 2010. live.
Web site: Webcontrol. Connexus. 30 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20110225061640/http://connexus.iformat.com.au/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=68534. 25 February 2011. dead.
Web site: Clarke. Roger. A brief History of the Internet in Australia. 2012-04-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20120404125629/http://www.rogerclarke.com/II/OzIHist.html. 2012-04-04. live.
News: xyZed. Media Release. First competitive DSL network opens for business. 3 April 2012. xyZed. 4 September 2000. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160120155819/http://www.xyzed.com.au/admin/uploads/pdf/00.09.04.pdf. 20 January 2016.
Web site: Pan. J. Theory and Application of G.SHDSL.bis. Loop Telecom. 3 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120914033405/http://www.looptelecom.com/WebSystem/FileSystem/white_paper/36-Theory%20and%20Application%20of%20G.SHDSL.bis.pdf. 14 September 2012. dead.
Web site: DeGesst. Kelly. What is a MPLS VPN anyway?. SANS Institute. 3 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120406114012/http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/vpns/mpls-vpn-anyway_718. 6 April 2012. live.
Web site: Freudenrich. Craig. How Fiber Optics Work. How Stuff Works. How Stuff Works. 4 April 2012. 2001-03-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20120407090534/http://computer.howstuffworks.com/fiber-optic.htm. 7 April 2012. live.
News: Department of Education & Training . Correction to: S180-2006 Advice to schools regarding Whole of Victorian Government Internet Service Provider . 10 April 2012 . Education Times . 10 June 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110412164349/http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/publ/distribut/EdTimes/edtimes-news-vol14issue10.pdf . 12 April 2011 .
Web site: How does ADSL2+ differ to ADSL.. Netspace. 10 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120322160439/https://www.netspace.net.au/articles/adsl2-or-adsl/. 22 March 2012. live.