Owned Network vs. Partner Network: What It Means for Your Internet

Does your provider own the network that delivers internet service to your home? It can be a confusing mix of answers, but the simple fact is that some do, and some do not, own the networks and infrastructure. Here we’ll provide clarity on network ownership and how EarthLink is able to deliver internet service to the contiguous 48 states.

Most national internet brands are one or the other. EarthLink is both, and which one you get depends on your address.

Some internet providers build and own every mile of the network they sell service on. Others own nothing. They buy access to someone else’s network and resell it under their own name. EarthLink does both, in different places, and this post explains what that means for you as a customer.

Key Takeaways: EarthLink’s Owned vs. Partner Networks

• In some markets, EarthLink owns the network directly, primarily fixed wireless with fiber in select areas. In others, EarthLink delivers service over a national carrier’s network.
• In other markets, EarthLink delivers service over a network owned by a national carrier.
• Either way, EarthLink is who you call, who bills you, and who sets your plan and pricing.
• The difference is in who’s responsible for the physical infrastructure, and that has one real effect on you: how issues get fixed.

What Changes for You, and What Doesn’t

This is the part that matters when you’re deciding on an internet provider, and EarthLink in particular. Not much is different for the most part, whether you’re using an internet service from EarthLink that runs on owned network infrastructure or a partner’s network. Your day-to-day experience (who answers the phone, what your bill looks like, what your plan includes) doesn’t change based on which network you’re on. What changes is who’s physically responsible for the infrastructure if something breaks at the line or tower level.

Why This Isn’t a Bait-and-Switch

It’s a fair question to ask why a provider would use someone else’s network versus owning and using its own infrastructure. The answer is coverage.

Building physical network infrastructure (running fiber, putting up towers) is expensive and time-consuming. No single provider, including the largest ones, has built infrastructure everywhere. Partnering with national carriers is how EarthLink can offer service in places where it hasn’t built or acquired a network yet, instead of simply not serving those customers at all.

Owning the network gives EarthLink more direct control over performance and repairs. But partnering gives EarthLink reach. But there is a tradeoff that EarthLink customers should know about.

What Is an ISP Reseller?

A reseller, whether it’s EarthLink or another provider, is a company that sells internet service over a network it doesn’t own, usually leasing capacity from a larger carrier. It’s a common, legitimate way to bring service to more places. It’s not important whether a provider resells service; it’s whether they’re upfront about it and whether your support and billing experience holds up either way.

EarthLink owns network infrastructure in some markets and resells access in others. As an EarthLink customer, whether you’re on owned or a partner’s network depends on where you live.

EarthLink Is a Network Owner and Reseller

EarthLink operates a hybrid model: it owns some network infrastructure in some regions and resells service in areas not covered by its network. This allows us to provide quality internet service in all 48 contiguous states that is backed by our excellent technical and customer service.

If you’d like to know more about which markets EarthLink’s network reaches, how the acquisitions that built it happened, and the breakdown of what EarthLink controls in each model, see:

• Our Network: where EarthLink’s owned infrastructure is and how it got there
• How EarthLink Delivers Internet: the full owned-vs-partner explainer, FAQ-style