AOL ends dial-up internet service
Listen to the story (New Zealand accent)
AOL stopped its old dial-up internet service. Many people used it long ago.
The dial-up service stopped on September 30. Now, you cannot see information about dial-up on AOL's website.
AOL helped many people get the internet at home. This was in the 1990s. People used a home phone line to connect. There were strange sounds when the computer connected to the internet.
New internet connections are faster and better. They are called broadband or wireless. Most people stopped using dial-up.
But some people still used it. In the U.S., only about 163,401 homes used dial-up in 2023.
Other old internet things have also ended. Microsoft stopped Skype video calls this year. It stopped Internet Explorer in 2022. AOL stopped its Instant Messenger chat in 2017.
AOL was famous for the words: "You’ve got mail." People heard this when they connected to the internet.
AOL still has email and other services today. Ending dial-up is a big change for the history of the internet.
Vocabulary14 words
- Dial-up
- A very old, slow way to get on the internet by using a phone line
- Internet service
- A “connection” a company sells so you can use/get on the internet
- Information
- Facts, news, or things you read or learn about.
- Phone line
- The wire that brings telephone calls to your home/office; how a telephone number connects to other telephones
- Connect
- To join or link things together; hook up; attach
- Strange
- Unusual or surprising; not normal; weird
- Internet connection
- The way your computer gets to the internet;
- Broadband
- a modern, fast way to get on the internet
- Wireless
- no wires; no cables
- Home
- the place a person lives; house
- Video call
- a phone call using cameras and screen so you can see the person you are talking to; “FaceTime”, “Zoom”
- Chat
- a function to quickly write/receive messages to other people online
- Famous
- Many people know it; Well-known or admired by many people
- History
- a record of past events; all of the past events; the past events of a person, place, or thing; the story of a person, place or thing
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
AOL _____ its old dial-up internet service. Many people used it long _____ .
The dial-up service stopped on _____ 30. Now, you cannot see information about dial-up on AOL's _____ .
AOL helped many people get the _____ at home. This was in the 1990s. People used a home _____ line to connect. There were strange sounds _____ the computer connected to the internet.
New internet _____ are faster and better. They are called broadband or wireless. _____ people stopped using dial-up.
But some _____ still used it. In the U.S., only about 163,401 homes used dial-up in _____ .
Other old internet things _____ also ended. Microsoft stopped Skype video calls this year. _____ stopped Internet Explorer in 2022. AOL _____ its Instant Messenger chat in _____ .
AOL was famous for the words: "_____ got mail." People heard this when they connected to the _____ .
AOL still has email and _____ services today. Ending dial-up is a big change for the _____ of the internet.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think some people were still using the old dial-up internet in 2023?
- AOL stopped the old dial-up internet. Do you think it is good when old technology stops? Why or why not?
- The text says AOL was famous for "You've got mail." Have you ever heard that phrase before?
- New internet like broadband is very fast. If you had to use very slow internet for one week, what would be the hardest thing for you to do?
- Do you think companies like AOL should keep old services, even if only a few people still use them? Explain your opinion.
- A lot of things, like Skype and chat services, change or stop. Do you think the internet changes too fast? Why?
- Which popular internet services today do you think might "disappear" in the next 10 years, and why?
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