AOL, the internet pioneer known for its iconic dial-up service, will officially discontinue its dial-up internet service on September 30, 2025. The company, which changed its name from America Online to AOL in 2006, has been connecting users to the internet through this technology for more than three decades. Providence’s decision is the latest indication of how drastically the debate over internet connectivity is changing. Wireless modem connections are quickly supplanting the old phone line technology.
AOL’s dial-up service, once a staple of the online experience, is now facing obsolescence as broadband and wireless services have become the norm for internet users. The company stated on its website, “AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet.” This move marks a significant shift for a service that has been part of many users’ digital lives since the early 1990s.
Despite this discontinuation, AOL reassured its customers that “will not affect any other benefits in your AOL plan.” Dial-up service—the last lingering remnant of the pre-broadband Internet—will be phased out next. AOL isn’t getting out of the business of providing features and services for its users’ convenience.
AOL’s history includes notable changes and milestones, such as the shutdown of its popular instant messaging service, AIM, in 2017. In 2021, AOL was acquired by Apollo Global Management and soon afterward merged into the newly created Yahoo! 2, further deepening its portfolio of services. These strategic decisions are all a part of AOL’s continued metamorphosis in an ever-growing digital landscape.
The unique, high-pitched dial tone that told the world you were online with AOL’s service will soon join other indecipherable noises of the past for many. As internet users upgrade to a better broadband experience, they’ll deposit the fond memories of dial-up into the past. The humming and whirring sounds will remain forever in the heads of those who experienced it up close and personal.
“AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet.” – AOL’s website
The end-of-the-line date for ending dial-up service is coming up, really really quick. Requiring users to carefully research what internet alternatives might exist in their geographic location. Technology has moved ahead quickly in recent years. In a world where high-speed internet is becoming more and more ubiquitous, dial-up service is quickly becoming as outdated as water and sewer infrastructure.
