AOL Ending Iconic Dial-Up Internet Service After 34 Years: Here’s When
After nearly 35 years of assisting millions of Americans in connecting to the internet, AOL is set to shut down its once-iconic dial-up internet service.
The AOL logo and a laptop.
A number of America Online promotional CDs from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The businessOn Tuesday, September 30, it will discreetly announce that dial-up internet would be discontinued. Additionally, AOL will discontinue its AOL Shield browser and AOL Dialer software, which were made for outdated hardware and sluggish internet.
Other elements in users’ AOL plans will remain unaffected by the change.
“AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue dial-up internet,” said the business. “AOL plans will no longer offer this service.
In 1991, when home computers were just beginning to proliferate, AOL started the service. The characteristic dial-up tone, followed by a voice announcing “Welcome!” and “You’ve got mail!” were the defining sounds for early internet users.
America Online was well-known in its heyday for sending out free trial disks, which appeared to be everywhere in the 1990s. However, according to the US Census Bureau, just 265,331 Americans were still using dial-up internet in 2019.
In 2006, America Online shortened its name to AOL. In 2021, Verizon sold Yahoo and AOL to Apollo Global Management, a private equity firm, for $5 billion, according to NBC News.
Consumers can call 1-888-265-5555 in the US or visit MyAccount to manage or cancel their plans if they have any questions.
