History of Delta Telephone Company, Inc.

Delta Telephone Company was founded in 1959 for the purpose of operating the telephone systems in and around Louise, Isola, and Holly Bluff, Mississippi. The company has since added the systems in and around Eagle Lake, Ackerman, Chester, and Merigold, all in Mississippi except for a small number of Louisiana subscribers located on the east side of the Mississippi River.

The history of the company is mostly about modernization. In the early 80's the company initiated a construction program to make one party service available system wide. When Ackerman and Chester were acquired in the mid 80's, those systems were rebuilt, and one party service became available system wide there also. Merigold was 100% one party service when acquired. Thus the company now has private line service available for all subscribers.

For several years Delta has been "digital." In the late 80's and early 90's, all of the central offices were replaced with electronic, digital equipment. This resulted in quiet and quick connections for the customers, and allowed for many new features such as equal access, area calling plans, and custom calling features. The company provides digital connections between all of its systems and the nationwide network, using fiber optics and SS7 technology. Delta Telephone Company provides services over approximately 120 miles of fiber optic cable within its seven exchange areas. Delta Telephone Company provides Digital Switching through the use of four Northern Telecom DMS 10 switches and three remotes. Being "digital" to the nationwide network gives the subscriber quiet, quick circuits and many new features to the world outside of the local calling area. Delta Telephone Company can offer its customers advanced services such as, Centrex, ISDN, and DSL where available. On December 16, 1997, the Mississippi Public Service Commission designated Delta Telephone Company, Inc. an "Eligible Telecommunications Carrier" for its service area for Universal Service Fund purposes and programs. Delta Telephone Company, Inc. also offers qualified customers Lifeline and Link-Up service.

Delta has installed emergency generating equipment at all central office locations in order to assure continued service until electric service is restored. The majority of Delta Telephone's cables to the subscriber locations have been placed underground to reduce the threat of loss of service during ice and wind storms.

Commercial offices are located in Ackerman and Louise. Customer service representatives are at those locations to handle the day-to-day business between the company, the public, and Delta's subscribers. Construction and maintenance crews are also based at those locations for prompt service response.

Our mission shall be to constantly improve on the quality of communication between the Company, the Customer, and the Community by being a stable provider of high quality telecommunication service through a proven reputation in order to enhance the lives of others.