Packet switching is the process by which data is broken into smaller chunks, or packets, for transmission over a network. Packet switching divides a message into smaller units, sends each unit individually via the best route possible at the time, and reassembles the units into the complete message at the destination. Most wide-area network (WAN) protocols are based on packet-switching technologies.

Until the late 1960s computers could only talk to one other computer at a time, using dedicated, circuit-switched communication lines. This was inefficient, as it resulted in brief, intermittent data communications. In 1968 packet switching was first implemented in a government laboratory in England. The idea behind packet switching was that it was a more efficient use of communication time.

Upon hearing about the use of this technology in England, the Department of Defense issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to implement packet switching for the...