EarthLink
EarthLink , is an
Internet service provider headquartered in
Atlanta,
Georgia. It claims 5.4 million members (
2004 estimate).
It was founded in
1994 by
Sky Dayton, supposedly after he spent an entire week trying to configure his own computer for internet access. He then soon realized the market for user-friendly ISPs. From a modest beginning of ten
modems, the company has grown to include more than 2,000
POP numbers in the US—and more than 40 internationally.
On
February 4,
2000, the company (then based in
Pasadena,
California) merged with Atlanta-founded
MindSpring, making it the second-largest ISP in the U.S.— after
AOL.
EarthLink provides a variety of Internet connection types, including
DSL,
satellite, and
cable. EarthLink also offers a different types of
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone services. One type provides both DSL and home voice service which makes VOIP service practical for DSL users. The support section of the EarthLink website has detailed instructions for configuring
Windows and
Mac OS to access the company's network, either with the EarthLink software or with those operating systems' standard networking features.
Linux is not listed on EarthLink's support pages, but because the company operates entirely via standard Internet protocols, any experienced Linux user can easily translate the standard settings for either Windows or Mac OS to the needed Linux settings and customer service representatives are usually helpful in setting up a dialup connection using Linux as a client.
In addition to selling the company's various Internet connections online and by phone, EarthLink operates retail kiosks in all
Fry's Electronics stores, manned by two to five representatives directly employed by EarthLink rather than Fry's. For signing up in-store, EarthLink offers customers special promotions not available elsewhere (including cash back and extended discounts). Services sold at the kiosks include PeoplePC dial-up, PeoplePC Accelerated dial-up, EarthLink Accelerated dial-up, EarthLink High Speed (including Cable, DSL, and Satellite), and EarthLink Wireless's
AirCard, which provides Internet service over digital cellular signals across the United States. EarthLink provides the large majority of its users with free anti-virus software (Win 2000 & XP only).
On June 10, 2002, EarthLink acquired
PeoplePC, a value-priced dial-up service that has more dial-up access numbers than any other ISP (including AOL). PeoplePC's direct competitors are
NetZero and
Netscape.
In July 2005, EarthLink announced that it was closing the last of its in-house American call centers, though the company still has American call centers via out-source telecom companies. In the late 1990s, when all of EarthLink's technical support was provided through in-house call centers, the company promoted the knowledgeability of its agents specializing in its service, yet it continues to do so with its current staff.
EarthLink is currently working with the city of
Philadelphia and Anaheim in their development and implementation of the city wide
wi-fi internet access. EarthLink has also teamed up with
Google in to do the same in
San Francisco.
Dayton and his two financial backers are Scientologists. When this fact created controversy in the media, Dayton asserted that the idea that EarthLink was owned by the Church of Scientology was absurd, making the comparison, not nice"It was like I'm Jewish, therefore EarthLink was owned by the state of Israel."
[Larry Armstrong. "The Mac of Internet Providers." Business Week December 15, 1997]EarthLink SIPshare is a
Session Initiation Protocol-based file sharing network made by
Clay Shirky and
David Beckemeyer.
On
January 26, 2005, EarthLink announced that it had formed an agreement with Korean cellphone service provider
SK Telecom to jointly own and operate a new
MVNO in the US wireless marketplace. The name of this new company is
Helio. The network is expected to commence operations sometime in Spring 2006.
Helio's business model revolves around providing advanced wireless devices not commonly seen for sale in the US market to technology-savvy consumers.
Aluria Software,LLC was a privately held company founded in
1999 and based in
Orlando, Florida. On
August 22,
2005 EarthLink, Inc. announced an agreement to acquire Aluria Software's assets; thus making Aluria Software a division of EarthLink.
[http://www.earthlink.net/about/press/pr_aluria_acquisition/]Aluria Software develops and markets
security and protection products for consumers, small businesses, and enterprise customers.
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EarthLink.net*
History of EarthLink*
EarthLink SIPshare
