You got disconnected: AOL ditches 1990s relic and ends its dial-up internet service
A classic internet feature is coming to an end
- AOL is discontinuing its dial-up internet service, a technology largely made obsolete by the widespread adoption of broadband.
- The service, along with support for its associated software, is scheduled to cease on 30 September.
- While AOL did not provide a specific explanation for the decision, the company was historically synonymous with dial-up internet.
- Usage of AOL's dial-up service significantly declined from 2.1 million users in 2015 to just thousands by 2021.
- Despite its slowness, dial-up allowed internet access via traditional phone lines, potentially serving homes without modern broadband connections.