Japan University NETwork (JUNET) was a computer network established by three universities, Tokyo University, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Keio University in October 1984 for test and research purposes. At its height it connected 700 machines[citation needed]. Comparable to the model of the American Usenet, it employed a UUCP implementation over telephone line. JUNET played an important role in the development of the Internet in Japan. It was made obsolete with the development and growing popularity of the WIDE Project, and was discontinued in October 1994[citation needed].