AOL to discontinue its dial-up internet service

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Cue the door-close sound effect, because an internet OG is logging off. AOL quietly announced on Friday that it’s pulling the plug on dial-up internet, the service that made it a Y2K-era icon. In a short statement, AOL said it made the decision after a routine evaluation of its products and services. The final “goodbye” is scheduled for September 30, presumably because that’s when the company’s mom needs to make a phone call. Dial-up’s days have been numbered for a while If your first reaction was “Dial-up still exists?”, then you’re not alone. After all, AOL has fallen a long way since it was the country’s biggest internet provider: In 1999, AOL had more than 18 million subscribers. In 2015, there were about two million AOL dial-up customers. By 2021, that number was in the “low thousands,” a source told CNBC. Party like it’s 1999: Dial-up persists in part because some rural areas don’t have access to affordable high-speed internet. Fortunately for them, other companies will still offer dial-up service. As for AOL’s service, a moment of silence doesn’t seem right. It’s probably more appropriate to have a moment of chaotic beeps, tone, and static.—BC