America Online now has more than 33 million subscribers, with each AOL member spending almost 70 minutes online daily.
In a statement issued today, AOL says that it"s new 7.0 software, launched in October, continues to drive usage and now accounts for almost 45% of AOL sessions in the United States.
The "33 million mark today is pretty good. It is better than the restated expectations. Considering the fact that they had to delay the launch of 7.0 by three to four weeks (because of the attacks on the United States) is not bad," said Youssef Squali, analyst at FAC Equities.
AOL said its roll-out of high-speed access over cable in Time Warner Cable"s 20 largest markets drove growth, as did the introduction of AOL 7.0 software with advanced high-speed content. AOL plans to provide high-speed access is remaining markets next year.