Private company

Terra

Terra was a Spanish Internet multinational company owned by Telefónica.1

Last updated Oct 18, 2026.

Overview

1999Founded1

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Terra was a Spanish Internet multinational company owned by Telefónica. It was headquartered in Spain and had offices in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the United States and Peru. Part of the Telefónica Group (the former Spanish public telephone monopoly), Terra operated as a web portal or Internet access provider in the United States, Spain and 16 Latin American countries. It was founded in 1999 as Terra Networks, S.A., a publicly traded company with Telefónica as its main shareholder. All outstanding shares were purchased by Telefónica in 2017, making Terra a wholly owned subsidiary.2

How it started

History

Terra was founded in 1999 as Terra Networks, S.A. by Juan Villalonga, Telefónica's president between 1996 and 2000, and grew in size through the acquisitions of several local startups in Spain and the main Latin American markets: Olé (Spain), ZAZ (Brazil), Mexico, Gauchonet, Donde (Argentina) and Chevere (Venezuela).

Terra has created several digital portals, like Invertia, a successful finance portal, and Educaterra (e-learning). It also has had or has stakes in other Internet ventures: Uno-e (online banking), Rumbo (travel, in partnership with Amadeus), Atrea (real estate, in partnership with Spanish bank BBVA), and more.

In November 1999, still during the period known as the "Internet bubble", Terra had a high-profile IPO both in the U.S. and Spain, and its shares skyrocketed. After that, the price fell sharply until it reached 2.75 euros in October 2004. This process sparked a lot of public controversy in Spain, where thousands of small investors acquired shares of Terra during the boom.

During 2003 and 2004 Terra expanded aggressively into the paid content business, mainly in Spain, Brazil, and Chile, launching ventures with Disney and Spanish football clubs Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. It also started several entertainment services, including an online multiplayer gaming platform (Terra Games) and a digital music service (Terra Música Premium) similar to Apple Computer's iTunes.

From that period until 2017, Terra focused on Internet-based content and services.

From Wikipedia’s article on Terra, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Leadership

Who has led Terra, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Timeline

  1. 1999Founded Founded in Madrid1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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  2. 2