Dial-up Internet providers such as AOL may seem like relics of the past, but business is alive and well for them in rural regions of the United States. The continued success of dial-up has a fairly clear explanation based on the circumstances that many residents of rural areas experience daily. Compared to urban areas where high-speed Internet access is ubiquitous, many rural households do not have access to the same Internet service providers because of the lack of infrastructure for broadband Internet. This issue has become so well-known that the federal government has pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to improve rural America’s infrastructure.
Dial-up is seen as an easy fix by many rural residents because it is readily available and easy to set up. Dial-up only needs a functioning landline to provide Internet access because it works in conjunction with practical, everyday telephone systems. This makes it easier to access than DSL Internet, which needs some additional infrastructure that not every rural household has access to. Furthermore, companies such as AT&T are beginning to phase out DSL Internet services.
Despite the fact that dial-up is widely in use, even the best dial-up company is far from the best rural Internet service provider. Satellite Internet providers like Starlink and unlimited 4G rural Internet providers like UbiFi provide high-speed Internet access even in hard-to-reach areas. UbiFi also provides low-latency Internet service, which is ideal for rural gaming. Before deciding that dial-up is best for you, be sure to research UbiFi and other high-quality Internet providers to find the best possible choice for your rural Internet needs.