AOL Retires Dial-Up Service After Three Decades: The End of an Internet Era

Internet trailblazer AOL, which introduced millions of Americans to the digital world for the first time in the 1990s and early 2000s, will cease its dial-up service on September 30th.

The announcement was made on AOL’s website, stating that the company has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet after evaluating their product offerings. This marks the end of over three decades of operations.

Despite the widespread adoption of broadband and wireless internet, AOL continued to provide its slow dial-up service via landline connections for approximately 160,000 users as per data from the 2023 US Census.

AOL was a cultural phenomenon in the 1990s, with catchy phrases like “You’ve Got Mail” and TV shows such as “Sex and the City” promoting its internet services. The company also made headlines for distributing CDs offering free trials to access the internet.

However, much like dial-up internet, AOL has evolved significantly. Its popular instant messaging service, AIM, was shut down in 2017, and the brand itself has been owned by various parent companies over the years.

AOL, previously named America Online, initially merged with Time Warner, then CNN’s former owner, in a notable acquisition. It is currently under the ownership of a private equity firm that also controls Yahoo.

AOL did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publishing this article.