Editing Dial-up Internet access (section)

==Replacement by broadband==
Broadband Internet access via [[cable Internet access|cable]], [[digital subscriber line]], [[wireless broadband]], [[mobile broadband]], [[Satellite Internet access|satellite]] and [[Fiber to the x|FTTx]] has replaced dial-up access in many parts of the world. Broadband connections typically offer speeds of 700 [[kbit/s]] or higher for two-thirds more than the price of dial-up on average.<ref name="todd20120215">{{cite web | url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12046/1210209-28.stm | title=Plenty of Internet users cling to slow dial-up connections | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date=2012-02-15 | access-date=February 17, 2012 | author=Todd, Deborah M.}}</ref> In addition, broadband connections are always on, thus avoiding the need to connect and disconnect at the start and end of each session. Broadband does not require the exclusive use of a phone line, and thus one can access the Internet and at the same time make and receive voice phone calls without having a second phone line.

However, many rural areas remain without high-speed Internet, despite the eagerness of potential customers. This can be attributed to population, location, or sometimes ISPs' lack of interest due to little chance of profitability and high costs to build the required infrastructure. Some dial-up ISPs have responded to the increased competition by lowering their rates and making dial-up an attractive option for those who merely want email access or basic Web browsing.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/02/27/could-you-go-back-to-dial-up/ |title=Could You Go Back to Dial-Up? - Digits - WSJ.com  |access-date=2009-02-27 |work=Wall Street Journal|publisher=Dow Jones | first=Andrew | last=LaVallee | date=2009-02-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,500686,00.html |title=Recession Has Many Holding on to Dirt-Cheap Dial-Up  |access-date=2009-02-27 |work=Fox News | date=2009-02-26}}</ref>

Dial-up has seen a significant fall in usage, with the potential to cease to exist in future as more users switch to broadband.<ref>{{Cite web |title=End of an era, KPN stops its last internet dial-in number |url=https://www.overons.kpn/nieuws/en/end-of-an-era-kpn-stops-its-last-internet-dial-in-number/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=End of an era, KPN stops its last internet dial-in number |language=en}}</ref> In 2013, only about 3% of the U.S population used dial-up, compared to 30% in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |title= Home Broadband 2013 |work= Pew Internet & American Life Project |url= http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Broadband.aspx |access-date= April 20, 2015 |archive-date= February 9, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140209214950/http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Broadband.aspx |url-status= dead }}</ref> One contributing factor is the bandwidth requirements of newer computer programs, like [[operating systems]] and [[antivirus]] software, which automatically download sizeable updates in the background when a connection to the Internet is first made. These background downloads can take several minutes or longer and, until all updates are completed, they can severely impact the amount of bandwidth available to other applications like Web browsers.

Since an "always on" broadband is the norm expected by most newer applications being developed,{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} this automatic background downloading trend is expected to continue to eat away at dial-up's available bandwidth to the detriment of dial-up users' applications.<ref>Kaspersky Technical Support website [search "dial up" slow] July 17, 2015</ref> Many newer websites also now assume broadband speeds as the norm, and when connected to with slower dial-up speeds may drop (timeout) these slower connections to free up communication resources. On websites that are designed to be more dial-up friendly, use of a [[reverse proxy]] prevents dial-ups from being dropped as often but can introduce long wait periods for dial-up users caused by the buffering used by a reverse proxy to bridge the different data rates.

Despite the rapid decline, dial-up Internet still exists in some rural areas, and many areas of developing and underdeveloped nations, although wireless and satellite broadband are providing faster connections in many rural areas where fibre or copper may be uneconomical.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

In 2010, it was estimated that there were 800,000 dial-up users in the UK. [[BT Group|BT]] turned off its dial-up service in 2013.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-08-31 |title=BT turns off dial-up internet access service |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-23877364 |access-date=2022-03-19}}</ref>

In 2012, it was estimated that 7% of Internet connections in New Zealand were dial-up. [[One NZ]] (formerly Vodafone) turned off its dial-up service in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-04-15 |title=Dial-up and broadband Internet connections in New Zealand - Figure.NZ |url=https://figure.nz/chart/e7H4mmtk4iNoJZ0f |access-date=2023-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415170045/https://figure.nz/chart/e7H4mmtk4iNoJZ0f |archive-date=2017-04-15 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-26 |title=Dial-up internet service closing on Monday as Vodafone helps customers onto new tech |url=https://media.one.nz/news/technology/dialup |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=Media - One NZ |language=en}}</ref>