EarthLink Wireless was the internet provider’s first cell phone service, launched in 2004 on Sprint’s network. EarthLink still exists, but this service does not. In 2005, EarthLink moved about 27,000 wireless subscribers into SK-EarthLink, its joint venture with SK Telecom, which was renamed Helio and launched in 2006.
EarthLink Wireless was folded into Helio
EarthLink says it became the first major ISP to offer wireless voice and data in 2004. In January 2005 it formed SK-EarthLink, a 50/50 venture with SK Telecom, renamed Helio that October. EarthLink’s annual report says it transferred about 27,000 wireless subscribers to Helio, effective March 24, 2005. EarthLink the company still operates; only this wireless service ended.
If you had an EarthLink Wireless line
Customers went to Helio. Helio later became part of Virgin Mobile USA in 2008, and Sprint ended Helio service on May 25, 2010, offering customers Sprint postpaid plans. Any number still in use from that era now lives with whatever carrier it was ported to. EarthLink Mobile, launched in 2021, is a separate, newer product.
How EarthLink Wireless ended
- 2004: EarthLink launches wireless voice and data service, the first major ISP to do so.
- January 26, 2005: SK Telecom and EarthLink form the SK-EarthLink joint venture.
- March 24, 2005: About 27,000 EarthLink wireless subscribers transfer to the venture, per EarthLink’s annual report.
- October 26, 2005: SK-EarthLink is renamed Helio.
- May 2, 2006: Helio launches its own service on Sprint’s network.
- October 2021: EarthLink re-enters wireless with EarthLink Mobile, a separate MVNO on T-Mobile’s network.
Why EarthLink Wireless ended
EarthLink did not shut its subscribers off. It moved them. In 2004 and 2005 the company pushed into wireless to offset a shrinking dial-up base. It committed $220 million over three years to a joint venture with SK Telecom and transferred its wireless subscribers into that venture, which became Helio. Fierce reported in July 2008 that EarthLink ended its Helio initiative as Helio was sold to Virgin Mobile.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified EarthLink Wireless
BestCellular.com tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this page comes from the sources listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. EarthLink Wireless counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about EarthLink Wireless
Is EarthLink Wireless still available?
No. The original EarthLink Wireless service ended when its subscribers moved to Helio in 2005. EarthLink sells a newer product, EarthLink Mobile, launched in October 2021 on T-Mobile’s network, but that is a separate service.
Which network did EarthLink Wireless use?
The Wikipedia list of US MVNOs shows Sprint as the host network for EarthLink’s wireless service. Helio, where its subscribers went, also ran on Sprint’s CDMA network.
What happened to EarthLink Wireless customers?
EarthLink transferred about 27,000 wireless subscribers to Helio, its joint venture with SK Telecom. Helio later went to Virgin Mobile USA in 2008, and Sprint ended Helio service on May 25, 2010.
Is EarthLink Mobile the same as EarthLink Wireless?
No. EarthLink Mobile launched in October 2021 as a new MVNO on T-Mobile’s network, offered with Ultra Mobile. The original EarthLink Wireless service from 2004 ran on Sprint and moved to Helio in 2005.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- RCR Wireless: EarthLink pours $121.5M, 27,000 customers into Helio MVNO: About 27,000 subscribers transferred to Helio; annual report cites March 24, 2005 (March 27, 2006)
- EarthLink Form 10-K for fiscal 2004 (SEC): First major ISP to offer wireless in 2004; transfer of about 30,000 subscribers to SK-EarthLink planned (filed 2005)
- Wikipedia: Helio (wireless carrier): SK-EarthLink formed January 26, 2005, renamed Helio October 26, 2005
- Fierce Network: Blast from the past: EarthLink re-enters wireless: EarthLink Mobile on Ultra Mobile/T-Mobile (October 8, 2021)
- Wikipedia: List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States: Lists EarthLink on Sprint with an uncited end year of 2015
Best Cellular. “EarthLink Wireless: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/earthlink-wireless/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.
Live carriers to look at instead
No carrier took over EarthLink Wireless’s customers. These carriers publish their network and run today.