Individual Network Berlin e.V.
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA non-commercial internet service provider in Berlin, run as a member-based association since 1995.
Last updated September 26, 2026
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Overview
Individual Network Berlin e.V. (IN-Berlin) is a non-commercial internet service provider based in Berlin, Germany. It serves private individuals, associations, and non-profit groups, and is one of the oldest internet providers in Berlin, with a history spanning over three decades. The organisation operates as a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein), meaning that participants can become members and take part in democratic decision-making processes and the operation of the technical infrastructure. IN-Berlin emerged from the early Berlin mailbox and UUCP scene of the late 1980s and was formally established as an association in 1995. It was among the first institutions in Germany to offer affordable internet access to private individuals, contributing significantly to the spread of the internet in the country. IN-Berlin provides a wide range of internet services, including email, web hosting, DNS, DynDNS, mailing lists, NNTP news, VPN, shell access, XMPP/Jabber, WebDAV, and videoconferencing via Jitsi. It also offers static IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, virtual servers, and server housing. The association operates servers in multiple data centres and in its own club rooms. Its network is connected to the internet through various sponsors of IP transit at the self-operated Community-IX, as well as local peerings at BCIX, ECIX, DE-CIX, and NL-IX. Access is available via DSL and VPN, while modem and ISDN dial-up were discontinued in 2018 after a year of no usage. Beyond connectivity, IN-Berlin is actively engaged in promoting free infrastructure and reducing access barriers. It collaborates with initiatives such as Freifunk Berlin and supports organisations like the Chaos Computer Club, the Arbeitskreis Vorratsdatenspeicherung, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The association also sponsors the transmediale festival, which it hosts. Together with the Berliner Linux User Group (BeLUG), IN-Berlin maintains club rooms at Lehrter Straße 53, which serve as a hackerspace and meeting place for various free software, free content, and Linux/Unix groups, including the Berlin Wikipedians. The rooms also house the eLAB electronics workshop, open twice a week. As of recent years, IN-Berlin has around 600 participants. It continues to operate as a community-driven provider, emphasising transparency, privacy, and member participation. Its services are documented publicly, and it provides public tools such as Jitsi and Etherpad. The association remains a notable example of a grassroots, non-commercial internet infrastructure project in Germany.
History
The history of Individual Network Berlin (IN-Berlin) is deeply rooted in the early Berlin mailbox and UUCP scene of the late 1980s. In 1989, Berlin mailboxes began exchanging mail and news via UUCP, with tmpmbx acting as a central node connected to the Technical University of Berlin. At the initiative of two students, the Free University of Berlin (FU) established a test link to one of the Berlin UUCP computers. In mid-1990, Berlin nodes signed a contract with UniDo (EUnet), and the FU was supplied via UUCP. The founding meeting of IN-Berlin took place at Café Hardenberg, with about 30 computers participating. An application for the domain berlin.de was rejected by the responsible DE-NIC, so the alternative in-berlin.de was chosen and not objected to. The FU Berlin applied for IP addresses at EUnet. In 1991, the central mail computer of the FU Berlin was also one of the two central IN-Berlin nodes. Together with representatives of Hanse.DE, Maus.DE, and North.DE, the Individual Network (IN) was founded. The IN became a customer of EUnet instead of the individual institutions. In 1992, the umbrella association Individual Network e.V. was founded in Oldenburg. By 1993, IN-Berlin had around 95 participating computers. In 1995, the association Individual Network Berlin e.V. was formally established. The following year, IN-Berlin had 392 participants, and a paperless data exchange for account transactions was applied for at Postbank. In 1997, the number of participants rose to 633, and a 128 kBit co-user contract with DFN was signed. In 1998, there were about 575 participants. A club room was rented at Kiautschoustraße 18. A 2 Mbit line to the FU with a 128 kbit DFN co-user contract and 2 Mbit into B-Win were established. A primary multiplex connection with 30 modem/ISDN dial-in ports was set up in the club room. In 1999, IN-Berlin had 840 participants generating about 120 GB of data traffic per month. In 2000, the umbrella association Individual Network e.V. dissolved, forcing IN-Berlin to find an alternative connection. It purchased 2 Mbit flat upstream bandwidth, and the first user domains were registered. In 2001, nationwide SDSL was offered for IN-Berlin participants, and an additional primary multiplex connection was installed in the club room. In 2002, the association became a member of BCIX and moved to Lehrter Straße 53. In 2003, IN-Berlin was registered as autonomous system AS29670. In 2004, it was allocated a PI /20 network from RIPE and an IPv6 prefix /35. In 2009, it received an IPv6 PI address block (/45). In 2010, there were about 580 participants. In 2011, the eLAB electronics workshop was set up in the club rooms, and the KiezLAN WLAN networking project was launched. In 2013, WLAN was provided in the Arminiusmarkthalle in Berlin-Moabit. In 2015, WLAN coverage was provided for refugees at the Berlin LAGeSo. In 2016, IN-Berlin became a LIR at RIPE and set up the Community-IX IP transit exchange point for non-commercial projects, ideas, and organisations. In 2017, there were about 600 participants, and Let's Encrypt certificates were provided for participants' websites. In 2018, modem and ISDN dial-up were discontinued after 12 months of no usage. Throughout its history, IN-Berlin has remained a non-commercial, member-driven organisation. It operates club rooms at Lehrter Straße 53 together with the Berliner Linux User Group (BeLUG), hosting various free software, free content, and Linux/Unix groups, including the Berlin Wikipedians. The weekly activists' meeting takes place there, and the eLAB electronics workshop is open twice a week. The association runs servers in multiple data centres and its club rooms, and its network is connected via sponsors of IP transit at the self-operated Community-IX, as well as local peerings at BCIX, ECIX, DE-CIX, and NL-IX. It offers DSL and VPN access, static IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, hosting, virtual servers, and server housing. IN-Berlin is politically engaged, rejecting efforts to curtail civil rights and informational self-determination, and supports groups such as the Chaos Computer Club, the Arbeitskreis Vorratsdatenspeicherung, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It collaborates with the Freifunk initiative in Berlin and sponsors the transmediale festival.
- 2018
Modem and ISDN dial-up discontinued after 12 months of no usage.
- 2017
About 600 participants; Let's Encrypt certificates provided for participants' websites.
- 2016
IN-Berlin becomes LIR at RIPE; Community-IX IP transit exchange point set up.
- 2015
WLAN coverage provided for refugees at Berlin LAGeSo.
- 2013
WLAN provided in Arminiusmarkthalle in Berlin-Moabit.
- 2011
eLAB electronics workshop set up; KiezLAN WLAN networking project launched.
- 2010
About 580 participants.
- 2009
Allocated IPv6 PI address block (/45).
- 2004
Allocated PI /20 network from RIPE and IPv6 prefix /35.
- 2003
IN-Berlin registered as autonomous system AS29670.
Products and positioning
Non-commercial, member-driven internet service provider focused on privacy, free infrastructure, and community participation.
Internet access (DSL, VPN)
Access to the internet via DSL or VPN, with static IPv4 and IPv6 addresses available on request.
Email services
Email hosting with webmail interface, mailing lists, and synchronization options.
Web hosting
Web hosting with support for domains, WebDAV, and Let's Encrypt certificates.
DNS and DynDNS
DNS services including dynamic DNS for participants.
NNTP news server
Access to Usenet newsgroups via NNTP.
Shell server
Shell access for participants.
XMPP/Jabber
Instant messaging service via XMPP/Jabber.
Jitsi videoconferencing
Public videoconferencing system that does not log or record.
Etherpad
Self-hosted Etherpad for real-time collaborative note-taking.
Virtual servers and server housing
Virtual server hosting and physical server housing in data centres.
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