The NABU Network was designed and implemented by an Ottawa-based company NABU Manufacturing between 1981 and 1983. The underlying idea behind the network was to link home personal computers to cable television networks that would supply a continuous, high speed stream of computer programs and information to homes. NABU Manufacturing identified cable television as uniquely ideal technology to deliver digital information services to homes and educational institutions because of cable's high bandwidth and wide coverage in North America.

On October 15, 1983, NABU Network was launched on Ottawa Cablevision -- an 85,000-subscriber company where much of NABU's testing was performed. Soon thereafter, the network made its US debut in Alexandria, VA, on Tribune Cable -- a 5,000 subscriber service. A year later the network was available on Ottawa's Skyline Cablevision and in Sowa, Japan, via a collaboration between NABU and ASCII Corp.

NABU Network subscribers could rent or buy a NABU Personal Computer and dedicated network adaptor, and use an ordinary television set as a display monitor. Once connected to the network, a user could choose from various application programs and services in categories including entertainment, information and guides, education, and professional programs. Dedicated NABU magazines, newsletters, programming guides, and user groups provided subscribers with supplementary information and support. The NABU Network's public launch in 1983 marked the creation of the first commercial computer network to provide high-speed access to information and services directly to homes of personal computer users. Financial difficulties lead NABU Network Corp. (formerly NABU Manufacturing) to close down its operations in 1986.

(from https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/collections/show/6 4 Marchg 2022)