From Dial-up to 5G | History of the Internet Episode 3

Ryan Haylett

Picture this, it’s the late '90s. You’re sitting at a clunky desktop computer in a room your family dedicated to it, the phone line is tied up, unmistakable screeches erupt from your modem, and voilà—you’re online. Dial-up internet, my friends, the OG of internet connectivity.

Dave Rowley

Exactly. Dial-up was essentially our first real chance, as regular folks, to connect to the global internet. It essentially worked through your public switched telephone network—or PSTN—by using a modem to translate digital data into an audible signal. Every time you heard those static, shrieking tones, that was your computer communicating over the phone line. It’s wild to think how basic it was compared to now.

Ryan Haylett

Right, and honestly, it was kind of magical at the time. This was the era where AOL was king, Netscape was your browser of choice if you were “fancy,” and everyone was diving into chat rooms or exploring early email.

Dave Rowley

It’s funny. Those Internet Service Providers like AOL, EarthLink, and NetZero... they essentially made dial-up household-friendly. They simplified the process of getting online with those famous installation CDs that came in every magazine. AOL pushed hard on its marketing...

Ryan Haylett

Totally. “You’ve Got Mail” became iconic! But let’s not forget the downsides. Speeds were crawling, at just 28.8–56 kilobits per second. And remember how it completely tied up your landline?

Dave Rowley

If your mom picked up the phone while you were online—game over.

Ryan Haylett

I still remember my aunt walking over to our house because she couldn't call my mom... We ended up getting a second phone line.

Dave Rowley

Yeah, and those frequent disconnections were just—frustrating. But you know, the concept of actually being able to send an email or browse early web pages with Internet Explorer was groundbreaking. It paved the way for everything that came next. Technology tends to build on the imperfect, right?

Ryan Haylett

Right, and I think a lot of listeners will still feel some nostalgia for those days. Sprint launched commercial dial-up service in ’92, which was essentially the moment internet access moved from academic and corporate spaces to, you know, suburban living rooms. That was a game-changer.

Dave Rowley

Definitely. It’s almost laughable now, but at the time, just being able to access this world of information felt revolutionary. The tools we had might have been primitive, but they set the stage for everything. Dial-up gave us a start... even if it came with a fair share of struggles.

Ryan Haylett

Okay, let’s fast-forward a bit. So we’ve moved on from crawling at just 56 Kbps with dial-up to stepping into the fast lane. Broadband changed everything in the early 2000s. DSL and cable internet weren’t just faster—they redefined how we accessed the internet entirely. Suddenly, staying online all the time became possible, and that opened up a whole new world.

Dave Rowley

Absolutely, and that shift was massive. Broadband brought with it the promise of "always-on" connectivity. No more tying up the phone line; instead, you had a dedicated internet connection using either DSL through your telephone wires or cable broadband over those TV coax lines. And, let’s remember, speeds now jumped into the megabits per second—huge compared to dial-up.

Ryan Haylett

Right, it was like going from riding a bicycle to jumping in a sports car. And cable internet? It kind of felt like magic because suddenly you could download an entire song in, what, minutes instead of hours? And don't forget how cable providers marketed this as the ultimate way to stream movies or play online games, right?

Dave Rowley

Exactly, and that reliability—plus the bandwidth—started enabling all sorts of things. From streaming music on early platforms to multiplayer gaming, broadband really created the infrastructure needed for immersive online experiences. And speaking of the early 2000s—WiFi. Now that, I think, was transformational in ways we couldn’t fully grasp at first.

Ryan Haylett

Oh, totally! I mean, WiFi was the moment connectivity went mobile. Suddenly, you weren’t chained to the desk anymore. I remember the first time I walked into a café, opened my laptop, and got online without plugging in—I felt like a hacker in a sci-fi movie. It revolutionized public spaces too, right?

Dave Rowley

It did. WiFi shifted the way we thought about internet access. Homes quickly became dotted with routers supplying coverage to every corner, and public places—whether coffee shops, libraries, or even airports—followed suit. No more being tethered to an ethernet cable. That was a cultural shift, not just a technological one.

Ryan Haylett

And honestly, WiFi made things like remote work or studying feel feasible for the first time. By the mid-2000s, streaming took off, video conferencing was on the rise, and let’s be real—Netflix wouldn’t have conquered without reliable, fast connections in every household.

Dave Rowley

You said it. The groundwork for so much of today’s tech ecosystem—from cloud storage to ultra-fast live streaming—was laid during this era of broadband adoption and WiFi integration. It set the stage for the digital world we know today.

Ryan Haylett

We’ve come so far from the days of dial-up, through broadband and WiFi changing the game entirely. But now, we’re stepping into a whole new world of connectivity. Fiber-optic internet is redefining what’s possible with gigabit speeds—something that would've sounded like sci-fi not too long ago. Dave, what’s so groundbreaking about fiber technology?

Dave Rowley

Yeah, fiber optics really took things to the next level. Instead of transmitting data as electrical signals through copper wires, fiber uses light to carry information through ultra-thin glass or plastic fibers. This allows for speeds that can hit up to one gigabit—or even higher—and with extremely low latency. Plus, because light doesn’t degrade as much over long distances, fiber is significantly more reliable.

Ryan Haylett

And that’s a big deal, right? Like, we’re talking about tech that makes streaming 4K, cloud gaming, and video conferencing—basically life as we know it—possible without tearing your hair out over buffering or lag. It also powers smart home setups, IoT devices… all kinds of stuff, yeah?

Dave Rowley

Absolutely. Take urban infrastructure, for example. Fiber-optic networks are really the backbone of smart cities. By combining high-speed internet with robust IoT setups, cities like Singapore have been able to deploy AI-driven solutions, from optimizing traffic to enhancing public safety with smart surveillance systems. That kind of bandwidth also enables sustainability-focused features, like real-time energy monitoring or automated waste management systems.

Ryan Haylett

Speaking of “smart,” this is where 5G comes sprinting into the picture. Fiber gives us an incredible base, and then 5G builds out mobility and scale. I mean, think about healthcare—5G could push the boundaries of remote surgeries or let doctors analyze real-time data from patients halfway across the world. It’s mind-blowing.

Dave Rowley

For sure, and 5G’s ultra-low latency is key there. It’s like, with 4G, you’d still have a noticeable delay—something as small as milliseconds—but with 5G, those delays are almost negligible, making those time-sensitive applications viable. Autonomous vehicles also heavily depend on that real-time communication to stay safe and navigate dynamically.

Ryan Haylett

And education! Imagine the possibilities with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) being streamed seamlessly in classrooms, or even into kids’ homes for remote learning. You could “attend” a lecture at NASA while sitting on your couch, totally immersed. It’s this convergence of cloud, AR/VR, and connectivity at work.

Dave Rowley

Exactly, and going back to smart cities again—access to these levels of connectivity drives economic growth too. Developers, policymakers, and organizations can build tools that scale with fewer limitations in bandwidth or speed. It’s really about creating an ecosystem where technology is fluidly integrated into everyday life.

Ryan Haylett

Agreed, and seeing how Singapore’s basically a living blueprint of this is super fascinating. We’re not just talking high-tech; it’s about making cities more livable, sustainable, productive… it’s the blueprint of the connected world we’re heading into.

Dave Rowley

And here’s the thing—fiber-optic and 5G are foundational, but they’re not the end of the road. These technologies are laying the groundwork for what comes next, whether it’s quantum computing integration, highly-efficient space-based internet, or who knows what else. The future’s connected in ways we’re only beginning to imagine.

Ryan Haylett

So, building off where we left, Dave—fiber-optic and 5G are amazing, but they’re just the stepping stones. What really excites me is imagining what’s next. Quantum computing, advanced AI, and even space-based internet. How close are we to stepping into that realm, and what could it mean for us?

Dave Rowley

Nailed it. Each of these advancements built on the last, and they weren’t just about speed—they each expanded what the internet could do for us. From connecting suburban homes to creating smart cities and enabling futuristic applications like AR, VR, and autonomous vehicles, it’s clear how far we’ve come in a pretty short time.

Ryan Haylett

It’s wild, isn’t it? And what’s next is just as thrilling. Speaking of which—on our next episode, we’re diving into the dotcom boom, that heady era when it felt like anything was possible online… only to see the bubble burst dramatically. Trust me, folks, it’s a story worth hearing, so stay tuned for that.

Dave Rowley

Absolutely, there are lessons from the dotcom era that still apply to tech and business strategies today. You won’t want to miss it.

Ryan Haylett

And before we wrap—if all this talk about evolving technology has you thinking about your own digital presence, here’s an idea. Why not head over to modularity.us? We’re offering a free consultation to tackle your digital needs, from website development to SEO, social media management, and more. Whether you're looking for a redesign or starting fresh, we’ve got you covered.

Dave Rowley

Yeah, and the modern digital ecosystem means your online presence is more important than ever. Whether you’re building your brand or streamlining existing systems, having a team of experts on your side makes a world of difference.

Ryan Haylett

So, on that note, thanks for joining us today. It’s been a blast geeking out about internet history. We’ll catch you next time!

Dave Rowley

Bye for now, and keep exploring the wonders of the connected world.