AOL shutting down dialup service; internet reacts: ‘End of an era’
AOL is discontinuing its dial-up internet service from September 30.
An era comes to an end. AOL is shutting down its dial-up internet service — yes, it's still around, would you believe it! The company stated that the service would be discontinued as of September 30.
"AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet," AOL wrote, 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.
Also Read | ‘Cyber attack?’: Internet speculates after ‘tech issue’ grounds United Airlines flights in US
Some consumers have continued to rely on internet services connected over telephone lines. In the US, Census Bureau data states that an estimated 163,401 households were using dial-up alone to get online in 2023, representing just over 0.13 per cent 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. Understandably, news of AOL's dial-up connection saying its last goodbye has drawn reactions from some internet old-timers – those who were around when connecting to the internet meant having to go through the beeps and buzzes on one's phone.
Internet users react to AOL's dial-up internet closing
One user simply commented “#RIP AOL Dial-up”, while another said it marked ‘the end of an era in internet history’.
“Better dig out those AOL CDs and redeem those 40 hours before the dial-up service is gone for good,” one person jokingly mentioned, while another quipped “Who knew AOL was still hosting dial-up? I didn't.”
“Tell your grandparents,” remarked another.
“After 34 years, AOL is finally hanging up on dial-up. Goodbye to the beeps, static, and 'You’ve Got Mail.' We’ll miss you… kinda,” noted one X user, getting nostalgic.
The AOL dial-up service had launched 34 years back. Apart from this, AOL also became known for its “You’ve got mail” catchphrase that greeted users who checked their inboxes – which was also seen 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.
(With AP inputs)
