MSN Dial-up

This article is about the Internet service provider. For the website and apps, see MSN.

MSN Dial-up
Company typeDivision of Microsoft
IndustryInternet
FoundedAugust 24, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-08-24)
Area served
United States
Worldwide (MSN Premium)
ProductsDial-up Internet access
OwnerMicrosoft
Websiteget.msn.com

MSN Dial-up is an Internet service provider operated by Microsoft in the United States and formerly also in several other countries. Originally named The Microsoft Network, it debuted as a proprietary online service on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of Windows 95.[1] In 1996 and 1997, a revised web-based version of the ISP was an early experiment at interactive multimedia content on the Internet.

Microsoft renamed the service MSN Internet Access in 1998, focusing its main 'MSN' brand on its web portal of the same name, MSN.com. Today, the company still provides dial-up Internet access under the name 'MSN Dial-up' for those who cannot access high-speed broadband. For several years, MSN was the second largest dial-up ISP in the United States behind longtime leader AOL, but very few people in the U.S. still rely on dial-up.[2][3]

Along with dial-up service, MSN provides its subscribers with an @msn.com email account to use with Outlook.com and security software such as firewall and anti-virus programs.[4] Alongside MSN Dial-up, Microsoft also offer these as a standalone subscription service for users with broadband Internet access around the world, named MSN Premium.[5]

  1. ^ Nations, Daniel. "Microsoft timeline and profile". About.com Web Trends. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  2. ^ Rosencrance, Linda (November 8, 2007). "AOL revenue, subscribers plummet". Computerworld. IDG. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  3. ^ "AOL still has 2.3 million dialup subscribers—and they're very profitable". Quartz. August 6, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  4. ^ "MSN Dial-up: A better way to connect: faster, safer, and smarter". Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  5. ^ "MSN Explorer: Account & billing help - Microsoft Support". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved September 7, 2023.