AOL’s iconic dial-up internet service has officially been discontinued. The company had previously announced its intention to cease offering dial-up services as part of an ongoing evaluation of its product offerings. This decision also affects software that had been tailored for older operating systems. As of September 30, AOL’s website no longer promotes dial-up internet.
With the discontinuation, help pages such as "connect to the internet with AOL Dialer" have been removed, prompting a wave of nostalgia on social media as users bid farewell to a bygone era. AOL, which was originally known as America Online, was a pioneer in introducing many American households to the internet. The distinct sounds of the dial-up connection once echoed through homes in the 1990s and early 2000s, a time when internet usage meant sacrificing the phone line and when AOL’s promotional CDs were a common sight in mailboxes.
The Rise and Fall of Dial-Up Internet
Although broadband and wireless internet solutions have largely replaced dial-up for most users, a small segment of the population still relies on this outdated technology. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, around 163,401 households in the United States were still using dial-up as their sole means of internet access in 2023, which accounts for just over 0.13% of all internet subscribers nationwide. While AOL was the leading provider of dial-up services, it was not the only player in the market, with some smaller service providers continuing to offer dial-up connections.
The decline of dial-up has been anticipated for some time. AOL’s decision to terminate its service aligns with the phasing out of other early internet technologies. For instance, Microsoft recently discontinued Skype and Internet Explorer, and AOL itself had previously shut down its Instant Messenger service in 2017.
AOL’s Legacy and Transition
AOL was a dominant force in the early days of the internet, known for its "You’ve got mail" notification—a phrase immortalized by the 1998 movie of the same name starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The company, originally Quantum Computer Services, rebranded to America Online and went public in 1991. During the dot-com boom in 2000, AOL’s market value reached nearly $164 billion. However, the company faced challenges in subsequent years, including a troubled merger with Time Warner Inc. and later acquisitions by Verizon and a private equity firm. AOL now functions under the Yahoo brand.
When Verizon divested AOL in 2021, reports indicated that the number of dial-up users had dwindled to a few thousand, a stark contrast to the 2.1 million users at the time of Verizon’s original acquisition in 2015. Despite the decline in dial-up, AOL continues to provide free email services and subscription options for identity protection and technical support.
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