PHOENIX - In what can be described as the end of an era, the company formerly known as "America Online" is ending its dial-up internet service.

Here's what to know about AOL's decision, and what is dial-up internet.

What is AOL?

The backstory:

According to the Associated Press, AOL rose to prominence in the 1990s and early 2000s, with the firm having introduced many households to the web for the first time with its dial-up internet service.

"The creaky door to the internet was characterized by a once-ubiquitous series of beeps and buzzes heard over the phone used to connect your computer online — along with frustrations of being kicked off the web if anyone else at home needed the landline for another call, and an endless bombardment of CDs mailed out by AOL to advertise free trials

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