The origins of can be traced back to the short-lived Control Video Corporation, founded by Bill von Meister. In 1983, von Meister hired Steve Case and Jim Kimsey to work as consultants. When the company went bankrupt in 1985, Case and Kimsey started a new company, Quantum Computer Services, now known as AOL.

For years, AOL dominated the home internet market in America and in other countries. At one point, AOL had over 30m members worldwide. Subscribers loved AOL's 'walled garden' model, which made browsing the web simpler and safer. Users could navigate within a private online community or go out into the World Wide Web. AOL's software let customers filter out inappropriate sites, making the web more family-friendly.

In 1996, AOL UK was launched, providing reliable internet to British customers.

In May 1997, AOL introduced its hugely popular Instant Messenger service, allowing users to chat online in real time. This made AOL a favourite among younger users.

In October 2006, The Carphone Warehouse purchased AOL UK for £370m. This made The Carphone Warehouse the third largest broadband provider in the UK and AOL UK the fourth most popular ISP.