Dial-up Internet Service Providers

For many people using dial-up internet service is a thing of the distant past. These days it seems everyone is using the much faster speeds of either cable or broadband or DSL internet through the likes of AT&T, Verizon, Roadrunner, JetBroadband and other popular companies. There's also sattelite hi-speed internet service as well through companies such as HughesNet.

Despite the allure of hi-speed internet and it's ability to get people what they need online quickly, there are still some people who may use dial-up internet service providers for a few reasons:

1) Hi-speed internet is not yet available in your area, or if it is, it's very expensive to have. For instance, some areas can only have satellite internet for hi-speed and this can cost upwards of $50-60 per month, along with a hefty installation fee to put the satellite dish up. For some this simply isn't feasible, so they stick with dial-up service.

2) Backup internet service - Dial-up internet service may serve as a cheap backup plan should your hi-speed internet go down. Some people have important home business or other needs that require they be in touch with emails and websites. Having dial-up can help make sure they have another way to get online should cable/DSL hi-speed go out.

3) Cost-effectiveness - Dial-Up internet, while not nearly as fast as hi-speed internet service, is simply cheaper, and in some homes there may be no real need for a hi-speed internet connection. Perhaps a summer or vacation home decides to have dial-up simply for sending emails when on vacation. Or a family feels that $30-$50 just might be too much to pay for hi-speed internet service. In these cases, dial-up is the way to go!

This page will supply you with some helpful information on four of the better-known and more popular dial-up internet service providers; AOL (America Online), EarthLink, NetZero and Juno Platinum.  Feel free to leave your comments below if you have used or currently use any of these services.

America Online, also known as AOL, is perhaps the most popular, well-known dial-up internet service provider there is.  AOL offers a simple to use interface for checking email, sports, news, shopping and surfing the web as well as chatting with online friends.  Currently, AOL offers several different plans for users including AOL Basic Dial-Up -- Limited Support which costs $9.99 per month and includes unlimited dial-up access as well as basic McAfee internet security.  The Basic Dial-Up plan which is one level up offers 24/7 tech support live and costs $11.99 a month.  The premium choice is AOL Dial-Up Advantage for $25.90 a month which offers PC Hardware insurance, $10,000 in identity theft protection and Premium McAfee Security.

See more information about AOL's dial-up plans here:
 http://free.aol.com/thenewaol/plan_choice.adp

EarthLink is another dial-up internet service provider and you often see its software included when you buy a new PC or as part of other software bundles.  EarthLink offers 56kbps dial-up internet service for low prices.  Included in their service are free virus/spyware protection, 24/7 phone support, reliable internet access, 8 built-in email addresses with Web Mail, over 12,000 dial-up acess numbers nationwide and many free extras.

EarthLink currently offers just 3 convenient dial-up plans.  There is a Monthly plan for $9.95 for the first 3 months, which then costs $21.95 per month after that.  Next, for EarthLink there is an "Annual Commitment" plan which is free for the first 30 days.  You are required under this plan to commit to a 1 year contract at the rate of $14.95/month.  Finally there is the "Annual Prepay" plan for $12.50/month.  Under this plan you must pay the full year's worth of dial-up monthly fees upfront (approx. $150).  According to EarthLink's website there is no credit card required for sign-up.

See more info about EarthLink dial-up here:
http://www.earthlink.net/access/dialup.faces

The Juno internet service provider touts its Juno Turbo dial-up internet as better than AOL or EarthLink.  This is due to its monthly cost of $14.95 (less than several other dial-up services except AOL), as well as their Juno Turbo Technology (which allows you to surf the web 5x faster than regular Dial-up).  Juno Turbo also includes Norton Antivirus to protect users from harmful viruses while surfing online.  In addition, you get spam-protection on email, pop-up blockers and 24/7 support.  At $14.95, Juno is affordable and doesn't require an annual commitment like other plans.  There's an anytime money-back guarantee as well as 2GB of email storage included in the plan. 

For a less expensive alternative, Juno offers Juno Platinum Internet Service for just $9.95 a month.  Your first month with this deal is free, and you get unlimited internet access, 1GB of Email storage and the program is compatible with many IM programs. 

When comparing this particular Juno plan to AOL, AOL is the better deal at $9.95 per month as it offers unlimited email storage while Juno just offers 1GB.  This may not matter to you though when making your choice.  Juno also offers what it calls a "Connection Commitment" to make sure you are connected to the internet in your first month of service. 

Get more info about Juno's dial-up internet here:

http://www.juno.com/

NetZero internet service provider basically offers the exact same monthly plan as are detailed above for Juno. This is because NetZero, owned by United Online, is the owner of Juno.  You may have seen the ads on television featuring their CEO Mark Goldston discussing the value of his internet service which is cost effective and faster than other services are.

NetZero offers the two plans detailed above for Juno.  In addition to the $9.95 and $14.95 dial-up plans offered at NetZero, they also offer a "Toll Free Accelerated Dial-Up Service" for $19.95.  This includes internet usage over a toll-fre 1-800 number and claims to the be the fastest dial-up service you can get.  Also included are Norton AntiVirus protection and Email with Spam protection.

See NetZero's website here:
http://www.netzero.net

Today many households commonly use cable or DSL internet service to stay connected to the internet 24/7, allowing for fast email, web-surfing, downloads and uploads.  Dial-up internet, which offers a much slower speed of 56kbps over a phone line, is also available for those who would like to have it. If you can do without having hi-speed internet service, then dial-up internet may be the most cost-effective and simple choice for you. AOL, EarthLink, Juno and NetZero all provide reliable services at varying rates. Keep in mind with the lower-priced AOL dial-up service you may not receive the level of customer support that the other internet service providers offer.

Also it's important to note there are more dial-up service providers in addition to the 4 popular choices outlined above. You'll find several other dial-up internet service providers listed in the resource links below so you can compare and find the best plan for the price and features.