Dial-up World was consumed in a “roll-up”, which was popular right up to about 2005 when the only dialup ISPs were rural.
The problem with pivoting to broadband was, most could not. The only option was reselling DSL, becoming a CLEC or WISP, and taking the dirt nap. The company I worked for tried everything and eventually went out of business after the dialup was sold in a rollup.
I was at a 123.net colo a few years ago, and off in a rack was half consumed by Livingston/Lucent and US Robotics Total Control dial-up T1 endpoints, running. The USR actually showed signs of use.
I at one point was taking calls in 2012 for a variety of ISPs including a small dial-up ISP in PA. [Also mixed in were weird other clients -- I could bounce from a dial-up call to someone asking about Bit9.]
It broke my heart to be taking a call from someone willingly asking to pay for 12 months of dialup in advance. But they did, and it was like $130. Ow.
National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative members were slowly but surely lighting up fiber, at least.
The problem with pivoting to broadband was, most could not. The only option was reselling DSL, becoming a CLEC or WISP, and taking the dirt nap. The company I worked for tried everything and eventually went out of business after the dialup was sold in a rollup.
I was at a 123.net colo a few years ago, and off in a rack was half consumed by Livingston/Lucent and US Robotics Total Control dial-up T1 endpoints, running. The USR actually showed signs of use.