BTES Becomes Tennessee's Newest Telephone Service Provider

BRISTOL, TN –Bristol Tennessee Essential Services became the newest telephone company in Tennessee Monday when the Tennessee Regulatory Authority approved the company’s request to offer telephone service. 

BTES will add telephone service to its slate of high-speed Internet and cable TV offerings by this summer, according to BTES General Manager Mike Browder.

The three-member panel of TRA directors unanimously approved BTES’ plan to offer telephone service after a brief hearing in Nashville, Tenn.  Sprint, BellSouth and Southeastern Competitive Carriers Association intervened in the case, but the parties reached a settlement with BTES prior to the hearing.  BTES is now among a few municipal electric systems nationwide offering Triple Play Service – high-speed Internet, cable TV and phone – through an all fiber-optic network.

“This is a great addition to our list of services, and it really showcases the capabilities of our advanced infrastructure,” Browder said.  “The people spoke loud and clear when we surveyed them about their interest in BTES offering Internet, cable and telephone service.” 

In fact, nearly 90 percent of the respondents to BTES’ preliminary marketing survey said the company should enter the telephone business, while 74 percent said they might or definitely would switch telephone providers if the service was offered by BTES.

Browder said BTES looked at several telephony options before filing its plan with the TRA, including Internet Protocol or IP telephony, but he wasn’t comfortable with reliability and quality issues involving IP telephony.  Therefore, BTES chose to provide traditional switch-based telephone service to its residential and business customers.  

BTES is in the process of purchasing and installing a Class 5 telephone switch.  Once in place, the company will turn telephone service on in areas in which it has already started offering broadband Internet and cable TV services.  Browder said BTES will offer comprehensive telephone service, including 911 capability and numerous calling features.

He also noted the economic development benefits of adding telephone service to the company’s repertoire of services offered over an advanced fiber network.   

“Offering telephone service provides us with an additional tool to use when recruiting business and industry to our community,” Browder said.  “Few municipalities can boast of the type of advanced broadband infrastructure we have here in Bristol.  A full slate of communications services is vital to businesses wishing to compete on a global level, and we now have the opportunity to provide anything a company might be looking for to communicate to the rest of the world on a moment’s notice.  The added benefit is that they can do all of this while living right here in Bristol.”