IP List

On Prestel, every main IP, or "Information Provider", was allocated a three digit "node" number, with which all their pages would start, e.g. British Airways had "313", allowing them pages 313, 3131, 31310, 303101, etc.  Sometime in 1988 I wrote a program that scanned every node number and recorded the page header, which, for the most part, was the name of the organisation concerned.  It also recorded if it was a private page (visible to Closed User Group members only) or a page that was marked as unavailable.  These latter gave a slightly different error message than an actual missing page, so it could still be identified as existing.  I have removed both of these from this list, however, as it was not possible to identify the IP even though a page was noted as being there.

Many IPs sold-on pages to third parties, either managing pages for them, or selling Sub-IP accounts that could edit nodes starting with longer page numbers.  There were obviously far more of these, as it was a much cheaper way of getting a presence on Prestel.  These are not listed here, though, as there was no easy way of identifying them!  There were, however, printed directories, which I will scan in due course.

So, here for your perusal, is a list of publicly visible main IPs, as at one particular point in time. I can't guarantee it's complete, even at the time I made it, as there are some nodes that I know existed at some point that are not listed, but it's a good start..  

It's interesting to note the variety of institutions represented.  Several government departments are here, as is a good part of the Travel industry.  "Private Prestel", incidentally, was a facility where organisations could rent space and user accounts that did not have access to the rest of Prestel, but were locked to their own pages, so effectively being an independent service.

200 Datasolve              
201 GUS                    
202 VIEWTEL 202            
204 Dept Trade & Industry  
209 Met Office (C) 1988    
211 Prestel Education      
215 PAN AM              
219 PRIVATE PRESTEL 3  
220 GAZETTEER              
221 British Rail          
222 TOURTEL                
223 ABC International      
226 POLYTEL                
227 PRIVATE PRESTEL1      
230 SCOTTISH TOURIST BOARD
231 AIR CANADA            
232 Bloodstock & Racing    
233 Norwich Union          
235 AL MAKTOUM BLOODSTOCK  
247 INFO-QUEST 247        
248 Datasolve              
251 LAWTEL-ADTEL          
252 QANTAS AIRWAYS        
260 B.T. COURTLINK      
265 British Medical Journal
269 AMERICAN EXPRESS    
270 COIC                  
272 MARKETING SERVICES  
273 ABTA NTB            
277 DISNEY DIRECT          
280 PERTLINK LTD        
281 WESTMINSTER CABLE TV  
282 B.CAL                  
288 PRESS288              
290 BP Travel Trade Svc
292 CHRISTEL              
299 Standard Life          
300 SPORTS COUNCIL        
303 VIEWTEL 202            
310 P&O European Ferries
312 Thirty Five Group  
313 British Airways        
321 standby 321            
330 LATEDATA330          
333 PRESTEL          
338 GEC                    
340 NATIONALEXPRESS  
343 infocheck          
344 VMS 344                
353 KINGSCROFT 353        
360 Datasolve              
369 GTFGERMANY 369  
372 BTIS                  
373 BTIS                  
381 Yellow  Pages          
383 British TELECOM        
395 Bank of Scotland      
399 AIRTEC SERVICES      
404 VIEWTEL 202            
411 Business Direction  
414 GERMANY 414        
420 LASER                  
432 NMS                    
440 PRESSOFOON VIDEOTEX
444 HOMELINK              
445 SCET                  
448 ITS 448                
460 ALL SHIPPING INDEX  
474 DISCOUNT STATIONERY
481 ICV 04862 27431        
486 MAILBOX          
488 SVS                    
491 PRESTEL MEDICAL      
494 THE BARCLAYS GROUP    
500 Government Information
501 TWA-TRANS WORLD AIRLINES
502 Thomas Cook            
503 MCD1                
505 THE BRITISH LIBRARY    
512 TRUSTHOUSE FORTE      
515 SEND                  
529 B + I LINE          
533 GWV                    
545 Sealink            
546 WORLDVIEWDATASERVICES
556 PHILIPS ELECTRONICS    
567 MEDITEL                
575 Health & Safety Exec.  
599 Company Newsreel    
600 MICRONET (c)          
601 PRESTEL          
606 Concept Videotex      
616 PRESTEL TELESHOPPING  
641 IBERIA                
656 PRESTEL          
678 ROOMSERVICE 678    
686 PRESTEL GATEWAY    
707 MAFF                  
721 Polyshare 721          
723 PRESTELTRAINING
747 PRESTEL TRAVEL SERVICE
757 TRAVEL DIRECTORY      
770 TSB GROUP          
777 MAILBOX          
781 ICV 04862 27431        
787 SIMPATICO              
789 SIMPATICO              
797 TELEXLINK
799 TANDATA FOR VIEWDATA  
800 MICRONET (c)          
803 Prestel Farmlink (C)'88
810 ClubSpot 810.          
811 MICRONET (c)          
820 PRESTELOPS TESTER  
825 LLP                    
828 20th CENTURY HAMSTER  
880 PRESTEL EDUCATION      
881 Prestel CitiService    
887 SCHOOL LINK            
888 PRESTEL EDUCATION