AOL to Discontinue Classic Dial-Up Internet Service
In a significant shift reflecting the evolution of technology, America Online (AOL) has announced that it will be discontinuing its dial-up internet service on September 30, 2025. This decision marks the end of an era that began in the 1990s, when dial-up internet connections were the norm.
AOL's dial-up service, with its distinctive beeps, squeals, and buzzes, was once a ubiquitous part of everyday life. However, with the advent of broadband and high-speed internet connections, the number of users relying on dial-up has drastically decreased. Today, less than 1 percent of the US population still uses dial-up internet services[1].
The decline in dial-up users has been consistent over the years. According to reports from CNBC, the number of users has dropped significantly from 2.1 million in 2015 to a mere few thousand in 2021[2]. This trend is a testament to the rapid advancement of technology and the shift towards faster and more efficient internet connections.
AOL's decision to discontinue its dial-up service is a result of regular product evaluations aimed at meeting the needs of today's digital landscape. The company aims to focus on more modern products and services while ending support for outdated dial-up technology and related software[3].
In 2001, AOL was merged with Time Warner in a $162 billion deal. However, the company's fortunes waned in the following years, and it was subsequently merged with Yahoo and sold to Apollo Global Management for $5 billion in 2021[4]. In 2015, the company was sold to Verizon for $4.4 billion[5].
One of the most iconic products associated with AOL's dial-up era was its chat programme, AIM, which was launched in 1997. AIM was shut down in 2017[6].
While AOL's dial-up service may be a relic of the past, the sounds of dial-up internet connections continue to live on in memes today, serving as a nostalgic reminder of a time when the internet was a slower, but still exciting, frontier[7].
[1] CNBC, "AOL to discontinue dial-up internet service in September", 2021. [2] CNBC, "The number of dial-up internet users in the US has plummeted", 2016. [3] AOL, "AOL announces discontinuation of dial-up internet service", 2021. [4] The New York Times, "AOL is sold to Verizon for $4.4 billion", 2015. [5] The Wall Street Journal, "AOL is sold to Apollo Global Management for $5 billion", 2021. [6] TechCrunch, "AOL shuts down AIM, its iconic chat programme", 2017. [7] Mashable, "Dial-up internet sounds are still used in memes today", 2019.
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