Earthlink was founded in 1994 by Sky Dayton in Pasadena, California. After trying to configure his own computer so that it could access the internet, Dayton decided to start his own dial up internet service. Within a one year period, Earthlink was offering dial up internet service to 95 cities. Earthlink was the first internet provider to allow unlimited access for one flat monthly fee. The company began offering internet service for businesses in 1996.
The company went public on the NASDAQ in 1997 under the ticker symbol: ELNK. In 1999, Earthlink was the first ISP to offer high speed DSL service.
Earthlink has made numerous acquisitions over the years, the most recent being CenterBeam, Inc. in 2013. The company has more than 2,100 employees and annual revenue in 2013 of $1.2 billion.
