EarthLink on the up

The US internet service provider EarthLink has reported a net profit of USD54.7 million for the third quarter, reversing a loss of USD79.4 million in the year-ago period. The positive results followed EarthLink’s decisions earlier this year to exit the municipal Wi-Fi sector and walk away from its loss-making mobile resale joint venture Helio. The company is also following a strategy of shedding low-end dial-up customers and focussing on high-usage broadband customers. EarthLink claimed just over three million customers at the end of September, down from 3.3 million at end-June and 4.1 million a year ago. The down-sizing of its operations has been reflected in third-quarter sales, which dropped 22.5% from USD298 million to USD230.8 million.