AOL is officially discontinuing its dial-up service after 34 years. What were users spending on internet through phone line service accompanied by the classic beep-boop-screech sound?
As per an announcement last Friday, AOL stated that its dial-up service will cease on Sept. 30. For those interested in how much it cost for a mere 0.056 megabits per second (in comparison to today’s 500 Mbps standard), we explored the pricing of AOL dial-up.
What are AOL users charged for dial-up?
Currently, even obtaining AOL dial-up is complicated, and detailed information on how to register is scarce. According to AOL’s dial-up section, the essential software for their dial-up service is accessible only for Windows Desktop. For an “optimal browsing experience,” AOL suggests installing the AOL Dialer, which links your computer to the AOL network, alongside the AOL Shield Browser, designed for older operating systems.
The AOL Dialer necessitates users to buy an AOL Advantage Plan. Searching for the Advantage Plan pricing on the AOL site leads to a labyrinth of links that ultimately brings you to a page presenting various bundles for customer support and identity theft protection, priced between $11.99 to $16.99 per month.
Nonetheless, the internet comparison website Allconnect states the AOL Advantage Plan costs $9.99 monthly. An aged CNET article from 2006 (retrieved via the Wayback Machine) indicated that AOL raised its dial-up plan price to $25.90 a month to encourage users to switch to its DSL plan, which was priced similarly at that time. It appears that the rate significantly decreased as the number of dial-up customers fell. According to 2022 U.S. Census data (via Ars Technica), roughly 175,000 households in the U.S. still relied on dial-up.
AOL dial-up may be deceased, but dial-up persists elsewhere
Although AOL dial-up is gone, certain providers continue to offer internet through telephone lines. For some individuals in rural U.S. areas, dial-up or WiFi hotspots represent the most feasible options due to the high cost of internet subscriptions or connectivity dead zones. The same Allconnect article outlines pricing for various dial-up providers. NetZero provides 10 free monthly hours of dial-up and then charges $11.95 monthly. Earthlink’s dial-up service is priced at $9.95 for the initial three months and then rises to $24.95 monthly thereafter.
In contrast to modern fiber optic internet plans, which run from $50 to $250 a month, these rates seem quite reasonable. However, the trade-off is a frustratingly sluggish browsing experience.