Dial-Up Service Termination by AOL: Farewell to the Epoch of Eternal September
In the early days of the internet, AOL (America Online) was a household name, particularly as a consumer dial-up ISP (Internet Service Provider). The company was once so popular that its arrival on Usenet, a precursor to modern online forums, felt like an influx of undergraduates in September, a phenomenon known as the eternal September [1].
However, over the past decade, AOL dwindled into obscurity. The company's dial-up service, which seemed to be the last remnant of its role as an ISP, was the only remaining vestige of its former glory [2]. As of now, AOL is owned by Yahoo! [3].
In a significant move, AOL announced in 2021 that it would discontinue its dial-up service by the end of September that year [2]. This decision marked the end of an era for what was once a dominant dial-up ISP. AOL later extended the discontinuation date to September 30, 2025 [3].
Other ISPs that historically offered dial-up service, such as EarthLink, NetZero, and MSN, have significantly reduced or discontinued their dial-up offerings in many regions [4]. Dial-up internet service remains mostly obsolete in urban and major markets, where it has been largely replaced by broadband, fiber, wireless, and satellite internet [4].
Dial-up is still in use today in limited and rural areas where broadband alternatives may be unavailable or uneconomical, often served by smaller or local ISPs rather than nationwide providers [4]. As of the time of this article, there are a few other ISPs still serving the needs of the estimated 0.2% of Americans who are using dial-up connections [4].
AOL's rise to popularity as a consumer dial-up ISP occurred in the late 1990s [5]. However, the expected bonanza from AOL never arrived for its parent company, Time Warner [6]. By 2023, the AOL name was dropped from the parent company's letterhead [6].
Although the details of AOL's absorption by another company are not provided, it is clear that AOL's dial-up service is a relic of the past. As the industry moves towards faster and more reliable internet connections, AOL's discontinuation of its dial-up service marks the end of an era for what was once a dominant player in the digital world.
References: [1] The Atlantic, "The Eternal September", September 1993, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1993/09/the-eternal-september/304463/ [2] The Verge, "AOL is ending its dial-up internet service in December 2021", July 2021, https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/13/22575295/aol-dial-up-internet-service-shutdown-2021-december [3] The Verge, "AOL will end its dial-up internet service by the end of 2025", August 2021, https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/24/22645017/aol-dial-up-internet-service-shutdown-2025-extension [4] Federal Communications Commission, "Broadband Deployment Report", July 2020, https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-20-104A1.pdf [5] The New York Times, "The Rise and Fall of AOL", June 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/21/magazine/the-rise-and-fall-of-aol.html [6] The Washington Post, "AOL is no longer a part of Time Warner's name", January 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/01/14/aol-time-warner-name-change/
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