Latest news with #Dial-upInternet
Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Indian Express
AOL is ending its dial-up internet service: What is it and why is it being shut down?
AOL's remaining dial-up internet customers will sign off for the last time as the company is permanently shutting down the service that brought the internet to millions in the US during the early 1980s and 90s. After three decades of operations, AOL said it will be discontinuing its dial-up internet service on September 30 this year, as per a notice on its website. 'AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet. This service will no longer be available in AOL plans,' the company said. The AOL Dialer software and AOL Shield browser, which are optimised for older operating systems and dial-up internet connections, will also be discontinued, according to the company. AOL's move marks the end of an era for millions in the US who once relied on dial-up internet to get online. For many, the characteristic sound of modems establishing an internet connection over landlines still serves as a reminder of the early internet era comprising glowing screens, chatrooms, emails, handheld computer mice, etc. With this announcement, dial-up internet joins the ranks of bygone tech relics such as CDs, pagers, and landlines. 'This change will not affect any other benefits in your AOL plan, which you can access any time on your AOL plan dashboard. To manage or cancel your account, visit MyAccount,' AOL said. Dial-up internet is a form of accessing the internet. It uses a computer's modem and a home telephone line or landline to connect to the internet at 56 kilobits per second or less, which are painfully slow internet speeds by today's standards. Access to the web via dial-up internet was accompanied by characteristic beeps and digital screeches. The origins of dial-up internet service is rooted in Usenet developed in 1979 by two graduate students at Duke University in the United States. It was a way of exchanging messages and files between computers using the UNIX-to-UNIX copy protocol (UUCP). CompuServe was among the first companies to begin 'offering a dial-up online information service to consumers' in 1979. AOL's dial-up internet service made its debut in 1991, as per a report by Gizmodo. However, by 1995, dial-up internet was being left behind in favour of faster cable internet service that relied on existing cable TV infrastructure. Unlike dial-up, broadband uses more advanced cables, fiber-optic lines, or existing telephone lines (DSL) to deliver a constant connection that delivers speeds ranging from 100 megabits per second to over a gigabit. With these speeds, it is easily possible to download huge files in seconds, play online games, stream 4K videos, etc. Wifi routers are used to convert wired broadband into wireless signals for use in homes and offices. Wireless internet can also be delivered to a specific location using radio waves from radio towers. There is also a rise in satellite internet networks which provide internet connectivity without relying on cell towers and other terrestrial infrastructure. Instead, a blanket or constellation of satellites communicate with each other through optical satellite links. AOL was originally founded as America Online back in 1985. The US-based company had over 23 million subscribers in the country during its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was considered to be the most popular internet service provider at the time, gaining a new user every six seconds. In 1999, Time Warner sought to acquire AOL in a massive $165 billion all-stock deal. It has since been owned by several parent companies. In 2017, AOL shut down its popular internet messaging service AIM. The company is currently owned by Apollo Global Management, a private equity firm that also owns web services provider Yahoo Inc.
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Qatar Tribune
AOL is finally shutting down its dial-up internet service
Agencies AOL's dial-up internet is finally taking its last bow. Yes, while perhaps a dinosaur by today's digital standards, dial-up is still around. But AOL says it's officially pulling the plug for its service on Sept 30. 'AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet,' AOL wrote in a brief update on its support site — noting that dial-up and associated software 'optimized for older operating systems' will soon be unavailable on AOL plans. AOL, formerly America Online, introduced many households to the world wide web for the first time when its dial-up service launched decades ago, rising to prominence particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s. The creaky door to the internet was characterized by a once-ubiquitous series of beeps and buzzes heard over the phone used to connect your computer online — along with frustrations of being kicked off the web if anyone else at home needed the landline for another call, and an endless bombardment of CDs mailed out by AOL to advertise free trials. Eventually, broadband and wireless offerings emerged and rose to dominance, doing away with dial-up's quirks for most people accessing the internet a handful of consumers have continued to rely on internet services connected over telephone lines. In the U.S., according to Census Bureau data, an estimated 163,401 households were using dial-up alone to get online in 2023, representing just over 0.13% of all homes with internet subscriptions nationwide. AOL was the largest dial-up internet provider for some time, but not the only one to emerge over the years. Some smaller internet providers continue to offer dial-up today. Regardless, the decline of dial-up has been a long time coming. And AOL shutting down its service arrives as other relics of the internet's earlier days continue to disappear. Microsoft retired video calling service Skype just earlier this year, for example — as well as Internet Explorer back in 2022. And in 2017, AOL discontinued its Instant Messenger a chat platform that was once lauded as the biggest trend in online communication.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
AOL is finally shutting down its dial-up internet service
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips NEW YORK: AOL 's dial-up internet is finally taking its last bow. Yes, while perhaps a dinosaur by today's digital standards, dial-up is still around. But AOL says it's officially pulling the plug for its service on Sept. 30. "AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet," AOL wrote in a brief update on its support site - noting that dial-up and associated software "optimized for older operating systems" will soon be unavailable on AOL plans. AOL, formerly America Online, introduced many households to the world wide web for the first time when its dial-up service launched decades ago, rising to prominence particularly in the 90s and early 2000s. The creaky door to the internet was characterized by a once-ubiquitous series of beeps and buzzes heard over the phone used to connect your computer online - along with frustrations of being kicked off the web if anyone else at home needed the landline for another call, and an endless bombardment of CDs mailed out by AOL to advertise free trials. Eventually, broadband and wireless offerings emerged and rose to dominance, doing away with dial-up's quirks for most people accessing the internet today. Still, a handful of consumers have continued to rely on internet services connected over telephone lines. In the U.S., according to Census Bureau data, an estimated 163,401 households were using dial-up alone to get online in 2023, representing just over 0.13% of all homes with internet subscriptions nationwide. AOL was the largest dial-up internet provider for some time, but not the only one to emerge over the years. Some smaller internet providers continue to offer dial-up today. Regardless, the decline of dial-up has been a long time coming. And AOL shutting down its service arrives as other relics of the internet's earlier days continue to disappear. Microsoft retired video calling service Skype just earlier this year, for example - as well as Internet Explorer back in 2022. And in 2017, AOL discontinued its Instant Messenger - a chat platform that was once lauded as the biggest trend in online communication since email when it was founded in 1997, but later struggled to ward off rivals. AOL itself is far from the dominant internet player it was decades ago - when, beyond dial-up and IMs, the company also became known for its "You've got mail" catchphrase that greeted users who checked their inboxes, as famously displayed in the 1998 film starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan by the same name. Before it was America Online, AOL was founded as Quantum Computer Services in 1985. It soon rebranded and hit the public market in 1991. Near the height of the dot-com boom, AOL's market value reached nearly $164 billion in 2000. But tumultuous years followed, and that valuation plummeted as the once-tech pioneer bounced between multiple owners. After a disastrous merger with Time Warner Inc., Verizon acquired AOL - which later sold AOL, along with Yahoo, to a private equity firm. At the time Verzion announced that sale to in 2021, an anonymous source familiar with the transaction told CNBC that the number of AOL dial-up users was "in the low thousands," down from 2.1 million when Verzion first moved to acquire AOL in 2015 - and far below peak demand seen back in the 90s and early 2000s. But beyond dial-up, AOL continues to offer its free email services, as well as subscriptions that advertise identity protection and other tech support.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
AOL dial-up to shut down as early inernet pioneer to hang up the phone for good
One of the first internet giants will soon be shut down after 34 years. While many people may be more shocked to hear that service is still running today, AOL is set to dial-up for the last time. For those who used the internet in its early days, you will still be able to recall the array of beeps and boops that came with dial-up technology. Back before smartphones, iPads, and laptops, telephone lines were how households connected to the internet in the 1990s. However 34 years on, we are definitely in a whole new era of technology where this service is no longer required. AOL, otherwise known as America Online, will be shutting down its dial-up internet service for customers in Canada and the US, reports the Express. This shut down may seem like a long time coming as AOL UK was discontinued back 2006 after the firm was purchased by the Carphone Warehouse. However, for those feeling nostalgic, the brand can still be accessed through old email addresses. In fact, you can even still sign up for an account. The shut down of AOL across the pond is set to take place on September 30, 2025, leaving any households who refused to switch to modern broadband services with two options. Either make the much needed upgrade or go without the internet. Dial-up technology was all the rage back in the '90s, which used standard telephone lines to access the internet. This was the perfect system at the time as emails and the web were mostly text-based and websites were much simpler. However, this revolutionary system would struggle to function properly in the current day and age due to websites and games requiring massive amounts of data to load up. In fact, to download a 1GB file, dial-up technology would need one day, 15 hours and 40 minutes as the service had an average data speed of 56 kilobytes per second. In comparison, UK regulator Ofcom says that the average UK broadband speed in 2025 is 223 Mbps - meaning the same file could be downloaded in less than 36 seconds. AOL website states: "AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet. "This service will no longer be available in AOL plans. As a result, on September 30, 2025 this service and the associated software, the AOL Dialer software and AOL Shield browser, which are optimized for older operating systems and dial-up internet connections, will be discontinued." The beeps, boops and sometimes screeches from AOL were a regular sound in households across the US and the UK. This was due to the portals, email services and internet connection it provided at the time. However, some of the AOL products didn't let households access all types of websites. AOL became even more popular in 1998 thanks to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's film 'You've Got Mail'. Throughout the film the characters send love letters to each other through AOL email, which inspired others to do the same. The current AOL is owned by Yahoo, which some web users choose as their go to browser. However, it is more likely today that Microsoft or Google has become the default. According to the BBC, in 2023 fewer than 300,000 people in the US reported using a dial-up internet connection. This is drastically smaller than the 300million Amercians using a speedy broadband service to connect to their social media, web browser and streaming sites. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
You've got... no more dial-up: AOL ends 34 years of dial-up internet
AOL will discontinue its dial-up internet service at the end of September, closing the book on more than three decades of the landline-based connection that brought millions of Americans online for the first time. The company posted a notice on its website stating: "AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet. This service will no longer be available in AOL plans." The shutdown on September 30 will also retire AOL's Dialer software and Shield browser. At its peak in 2000, AOL boasted 25 million subscribers and handled half of all consumer internet traffic. The service became a cultural touchstone, flooding mailboxes with CD-ROM trial offers and making its "You've got mail" chime famous enough to inspire a Hollywood movie. Despite broadband's dominance, about 160,000 Americans still rely on dial-up internet according to 2023 Census data. Many aren't nostalgic users but people in areas where high-speed internet remains unavailable or unaffordable. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo The dial-up experience required a patience that feels foreign today. Users freed up their phone lines, endured the distinctive modem handshake of beeps and static, then waited for pages to load at 56 kilobits per second, roughly 400 times slower than modern broadband. AOL itself has shrunk considerably since its heyday. After a disastrous merger with Time Warner in 2000, the company passed through several owners before landing with private equity firm Apollo Global Management in 2021. The beloved AIM messaging service shut down in 2017. The September closure ends a service that introduced millions to the internet, though for most Americans (fun fact: AOL is an acronym for America Online ), that introduction happened decades ago when faster alternatives arrived. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
