Goodbye, Little Noise: AOL Will Shut Down Its Last Active Dial-Up Internet Modems in the U.S.

Written by Felipe Alves da Silva

Published on 11/08/2025 at 20:59

Updated on 11/08/2025 at 21:05

Imagem: IA

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AOL, One Of The Pioneers In Providing Internet Access In The United States, Announced That It Will Discontinue Its Dial-Up Internet Service On September 30, 2025. With This Decision, The Company, Which Was Responsible For Connecting Millions Of Users In The 1990s And Early 2000s, Puts An End To An Era Marked By Slow Connections Via Landline.

The Decision By AOL Comes In A Context Of Modernization Of Internet Access Technologies. Over The Past Few Decades, The Popularization Of Broadband And Wireless Internet Has Made Dial-Up Internet Obsolete. However, The Company Has Maintained The Service Longer, Serving About 160,000 Users In The United States Who Still Connect Via Landline, According To The 2023 Census.

The Dial-Up Modem Was One Of The First Technologies Used To Connect Users To The Internet In The 90s, Transmitting Data Over Phone Lines. Its Distinctive Feature Was The Typical Noise During Connection, Which Became An Icon Of The Era.

Technology That Marked A Generation

In The 1990s, AOL Played A Crucial Role In Internet Access, With Its Characteristic Modems, Whose Connection Sounds Became A Nostalgic Symbol For Many. Users Needed Simple Devices Connected To Phones To Access An Internet That At The Time Consisted Mainly Of Static Pages And Text Content. In Brazil, Many Chose To Connect During The Early Morning Or On Weekends When Rates Were Cheaper.

Despite Its Historical Importance, AOL Failed To Adapt To Technological Changes In The Same Way As Other Companies. In 2015, AOL Was Acquired By Verizon For US$ 4.4 Billion, And Later Sold To The Apollo Group As Part Of A Deal That Included Yahoo. This Move Reflects The Company’s Difficulty In Finding Its New Role In The Digital Market After Its Disastrous Merger With Time Warner In The 2000s.

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End Of An Era

AOL’s Action Reflects The Continuation Of A Modernization Process In The Telecommunications Sector, Which Gradually Left Behind Slower And More Expensive Services. In Its Official Statement, AOL Stated That It Periodically Evaluated Its Products And Services Before Reaching The Decision To End The Operations Of The Dial-Up Internet Service.

Remember The Sound Of Dial-Up Internet

The Information Was Shared By “Exame” And Other Portals, With Data From The U.S. Census, Marking The End Of A Cycle For The Company And The Telecommunications Industry.

With The End Of Dial-Up Internet, How Do You Remember The Early Days Of Online Connection And The Impact Of AOL On Your Digital Life?

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Exame

Goodbye, Little Noise: AOL Will Shut Down Its Last Active Dial-Up Internet Modems in the U.S.

Technology That Marked A Generation

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