AOL's Dial-Up Internet Service to Cease Operation in September

AOL is scaling back its operations by terminating its dial-up internet service on September 30, 2025.

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2025 August 28 . 12:53 AM

2 min read

AOL's Dial-Up Internet Service to Cease Operation in September

After more than three decades of providing internet access to millions of users, AOL has announced that it will be discontinuing its dial-up internet service on September 30, 2025. This decision marks the end of an era, as the service was instrumental in bringing the internet to many households in the 1990s.

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2023, approximately 160,000 to 163,000 households in the United States still relied on AOL dial-up internet service. This group represented just over 0.13% of all U.S. homes with internet subscriptions. The New York Times reported that in 2023, 163,000 United States households still used dial-up service for internet access.

The service and associated software will cease to function on September 30, 2025. AOL did not provide current user numbers with its closing announcement. In 2015, AOL reported two million users and $40 million a month in revenue from dial-up service.

Dial-up internet, connected via phone lines and characterized by slow speeds (about 56 kilobits/s), had been largely supplanted by broadband services by 2023, which serve over 300 million Americans. The average broadband connections are several thousand times faster than dial-up internet.

The few remaining dial-up users either lacked access to broadband in remote areas or preferred the older technology. Some users may have chosen to stick with dial-up as a security blanket or due to hesitancy to switch. The pinging, boinging, and hissing sounds associated with connecting to the internet in the early days are reminders of AOL’s dial-up service.

AOL's statement mentioned that the company routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet. No further information about the reason for discontinuing the service was provided in the announcement.

The iconic "You've Got Mail" sign-on announcement of AOL's dial-up service inspired a rom-com movie starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The last time AOL released dial-up user numbers was in 2015.

As AOL moves forward, it will be interesting to see how the company adapts to the rapidly changing technology landscape and continues to provide value to its users. For those still using AOL dial-up service, it's time to start thinking about making the switch to broadband internet.