End of an era: AOL to shut down its last dial-up connections
The decision closes a chapter in online history that began in the 1990s, when the company's beeps-and-buzzes connection sound became an iconic part of getting online.
In a notice on its support site, AOL said it "routinely evaluates its products and services" and has decided to discontinue dial-up internet and related software "optimized for older operating systems."
At its peak, AOL, formerly America Online, dominated the market, introducing countless users to the World Wide Web. The service became famous not only for its connection noises but also for its quirks, such as losing your connection if someone picked up the landline phone, and for the flood of promotional CDs offering free trial hours.
While broadband and wireless eventually took over, dial-up never entirely vanished. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, about 163,401 U.S. households still used only dial-up to access the internet in 2023, representing just 0.13% of homes with internet subscriptions. AOL has long been the largest dial-up provider, but smaller ISPs still offer the service.
The decline of dial-up mirrors the disappearance of other internet relics. AOL shut down its Instant Messenger service in 2017, Microsoft retired Internet Explorer in 2022, and Skype was discontinued earlier this year. AOL's "You've got mail" greeting, immortalized in the 1998 Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan film, remains a nostalgic hallmark for many.
Founded in 1985 as Quantum Computer Services, AOL rebranded, went public in 1991, and became a titan of the dot-com era, hitting a market value of nearly $164 billion in 2000. However, a troubled merger with Time Warner and subsequent ownership changes saw its fortunes fall. Verizon acquired AOL in 2015, when it still had 2.1 million dial-up users, but by the time Verizon sold AOL and Yahoo to a private equity firm in 2021, that figure was "in the low thousands," according to a source cited by CNBC.
Today, AOL continues to operate its free email service and paid subscriptions, offering identity protection and tech support. But for the few remaining customers relying on its phone-line-based internet, the September cutoff will mean finding a new way online, and for the broader public, it's a reminder of how far, and how fast, internet technology has evolved.
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Canada News.Net
2 days ago
- Canada News.Net
End of an era: AOL to shut down its last dial-up connections
NEW YORK CITY, New York: AOL will officially shut down its dial-up internet service on September 30, marking the end of one of the earliest gateways to the web for millions of households. The decision closes a chapter in online history that began in the 1990s, when the company's beeps-and-buzzes connection sound became an iconic part of getting online. In a notice on its support site, AOL said it "routinely evaluates its products and services" and has decided to discontinue dial-up internet and related software "optimized for older operating systems." At its peak, AOL, formerly America Online, dominated the market, introducing countless users to the World Wide Web. The service became famous not only for its connection noises but also for its quirks, such as losing your connection if someone picked up the landline phone, and for the flood of promotional CDs offering free trial hours. While broadband and wireless eventually took over, dial-up never entirely vanished. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, about 163,401 U.S. households still used only dial-up to access the internet in 2023, representing just 0.13% of homes with internet subscriptions. AOL has long been the largest dial-up provider, but smaller ISPs still offer the service. The decline of dial-up mirrors the disappearance of other internet relics. AOL shut down its Instant Messenger service in 2017, Microsoft retired Internet Explorer in 2022, and Skype was discontinued earlier this year. AOL's "You've got mail" greeting, immortalized in the 1998 Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan film, remains a nostalgic hallmark for many. Founded in 1985 as Quantum Computer Services, AOL rebranded, went public in 1991, and became a titan of the dot-com era, hitting a market value of nearly $164 billion in 2000. However, a troubled merger with Time Warner and subsequent ownership changes saw its fortunes fall. Verizon acquired AOL in 2015, when it still had 2.1 million dial-up users, but by the time Verizon sold AOL and Yahoo to a private equity firm in 2021, that figure was "in the low thousands," according to a source cited by CNBC. Today, AOL continues to operate its free email service and paid subscriptions, offering identity protection and tech support. But for the few remaining customers relying on its phone-line-based internet, the September cutoff will mean finding a new way online, and for the broader public, it's a reminder of how far, and how fast, internet technology has evolved.
4 days ago
AOL to end dial-up internet services, a '90s relic still used in some remote areas
AOL is discontinuing its dial-up service, which helped millions of households connect to the web during the internet's formative years and was instantly recognizable for its beep-laden, scratch-heavy ring tone in the 1990s and early 2000s. The company, which once dominated as the world's largest internet provider, confirmed the move to CBC News on Sunday, saying it would discontinue dial-up as a subscription option on Sept. 30 as we innovate to meet the needs of today's digital landscape. Dial-up services were a mainstay of the early internet — as famously depicted in the 1998 romantic comedy You've Got Mail — and involved using a phone line to connect devices to the web. Those of a certain age will recall that this meant choosing between your landline and your internet access. The company, which offered the service to customers in Canada and the U.S., didn't offer details about its existing dial-up clients. With much-speedier broadband internet access now the standard for web connection in North America, the end of dial-up service raises the question of who was still using it. There are many parts of rural Canada that still do not have reliable access or any access to high-speed internet connectivity. And for them, dial-up is their only alternative, said technology analyst Carmi Levy in an interview with CBC News. There are a number of regional or local players across the country that still provide low-cost dial-up access. The problem here is that the base, the internet as we know it, is no longer built for dial-up access. And so it's a technology that time really has passed by, Levy said. According to a CRTC report published (new window) earlier this year, 95 per cent of Canadians have access to high-speed internet. But broadband coverage in the country's three territories, as well as in rural areas and on First Nations reserves, is still catching up with the rest of Canada. CBC News reached out to the CRTC to ask how many Canadians are still making use of dial-up services, which falls under the fixed internet umbrella that the regulator tracks. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau estimated (new window) that about 163,000 households were using dial-up exclusively for internet service in 2023. This isn't gonna affect a lot of people, but if you're one of those people who simply never transitioned off, it's pretty seismic, added Levy. It means that at the end of September, you're losing the only access to the internet that you've ever known. Canada's major telecoms are scaling up fibre-optic networks for internet connectivity because they're capable of transferring data at high speeds and tend to be cost-effective. Satellite services — including SpaceX's Starlink — are also sometimes used for high-speed internet in rural and remote areas. Dana Ditomaso, a technology analyst in Victoria says satellite coverage isn't always reliable or fulsome in less populated areas. Especially if it's mountainous or there's a lot of trees, even satellite internet isn't going to work all that well because you need a clear line to the satellite, she noted. That's where the gap filled by dial-up services might exist — but Ditomaso doesn't expect any nostalgia-fuelled revival of the technology. It's not gonna be like vinyl records, and people are like, 'I really want that dial-up experience,' you know? she said. It's people who have to have dial-up, not because they want to have dial-up. Jenna Benchetrit (new window) · CBC News · Journalist Jenna Benchetrit is the senior business writer for CBC News. She writes stories about Canadian economic and consumer issues, and has also recently covered U.S. politics. She was part of the team that won a silver Digital Publishing Award in best news coverage for covering the 2024 U.S. election. A Montrealer based in Toronto, Jenna holds a master's degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. You can reach her at With files from Anis Heydari
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
AOL ends its dial-up service, an early internet relic still used in some remote areas
AOL is discontinuing its dial-up service, which helped millions of households connect to the web during the internet's formative years and was instantly recognizable for its beep-laden, scratch-heavy ring tone in the 1990s and early 2000s. The company, which once dominated as the world's largest internet provider, confirmed the move to CBC News on Sunday, saying it would discontinue dial-up as a subscription option on Sept. 30 "as we innovate to meet the needs of today's digital landscape." Dial-up services were a mainstay of the early internet — as famously depicted in the 1998 romantic comedy You've Got Mail — and involved using a phone line to connect devices to the web. Those of a certain age will recall that this meant choosing between your landline and your internet access. The company, which offered the service to customers in Canada and the U.S., didn't offer details about its existing dial-up clients. With much-speedier broadband internet access now the standard for web connection in North America, the end of dial-up service raises the question of who was still using it. "There are many parts of rural Canada that still do not have reliable access or any access to high-speed internet connectivity. And for them, dial-up is their only alternative," said technology analyst Carmi Levy in an interview with CBC News. "There are a number of regional or local players across the country that still provide low-cost dial-up access. The problem here is that the base, the internet as we know it, is no longer built for dial-up access. And so it's a technology that time really has passed by," Levy said. According to a CRTC report published earlier this year, 95 per cent of Canadians have access to high-speed internet. But broadband coverage in the country's three territories, as well as in rural areas and on First Nations reserves, is still catching up with the rest of Canada. CBC News reached out to the CRTC to ask how many Canadians are still making use of dial-up services, which falls under the "fixed internet" umbrella that the regulator tracks. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that about 163,000 households were using dial-up exclusively for internet service in 2023. "This isn't gonna affect a lot of people, but if you're one of those people who simply never transitioned off, it's pretty seismic," added Levy. "It means that at the end of September, you're losing the only access to the internet that you've ever known." Canada's major telecoms are scaling up fibre-optic networks for internet connectivity because they're capable of transferring data at high speeds and tend to be cost-effective. Satellite services — including SpaceX's Starlink — are also sometimes used for high-speed internet in rural and remote areas. Dana Ditomaso, a technology analyst in Victoria, B.C., noted that satellite coverage isn't always reliable or fulsome in less populated areas. "Especially if it's mountainous or there's a lot of trees, even satellite internet isn't going to work all that well because you need a clear line to the satellite," she noted. That's where the gap filled by dial-up services might exist — but Ditomaso doesn't expect any nostalgia-fuelled revival of the technology. "It's not gonna be like vinyl records, and people are like, 'I really want that dial-up experience,' you know?" she said.
