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Kōrero: Digital media and the internet

Xtra homepage, 1996

Image
 Xtra homepage, 1996

In May 1996 Telecom (which later became Spark) changed the name of Telecom Online Services to the more web-friendly 'Xtra'. Its new homepage, shown here, featured a virtual world designed by multimedia company DVP. It was an exciting image, which undoubtedly attracted users, but, in the days when most home internet users were on dial-up connections, many found that the page took a long time to download because of its size.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Spark New Zealand

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Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Russell Brown, Digital media and the internet – The early days of the internet, 1990s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/node/224752 (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Russell Brown, i tāngia i te 26 November 2013.