Poptel

Infobox_Co-operative
company_name = Poptel
company_type = Worker cooperative
company_slogan = Connect Inform Empower
foundation = 1983
location = Manchester, UK

Poptel was a British internet and on-line services provider that was run by an employee co-operative (worker cooperative) from 1986 to 2002.

Poptel was a partner in the Manchester Host and the Kirklees Host and became known as provider of Internet services to the Labour Party (UK). Working with the National Cooperative Business Association of the US, it launched the successful bid to create a top level Internet domain for use exclusively by cooperatives - ".coop" .

Poptel was "demutualised" and broken up into smaller businesses in September 2002. Staff from the web development department formed a new co-operative (Poptech [http://www.poptech.coop/] ), and OSG Co-op (now Midcounties Co-operative) took over the .coop registry operation.

History

Poptel's first on-line service, based on the GeoNet platform, was launched in March 1986. The Manchester Host was launched in 1991.

External links

* [http://www.poptech.coop/ Poptech Website]
* [http://www.nic.coop/ .coop top level domain website]
* [http://www.andrewbibby.com/socialenterprise/poptel.html "Case study: Poptel"] by journalist Andrew Bibby, c.2001
* [http://www.andrewbibby.com/socialenterprise/poptel2.html "Poptel: how one workers' co-op was taken over by its investors"] by Andrew Bibby, first published in the Financial Times, 2003
* [http://hauntingthunder.wordpress.com/ex-popys/ Where are they Now List Of Ex Poptel Members]