Northern Arkansas Telephone Company (NATCO) has broken ground on a multimillion dollar fiber optics project in Bull Shoals, according to Steven G. Sanders Jr., NATCO president and general manager. The contract for this project was awarded to Klaasmeyer Construction of Conway. The project is beginning at the Bull Shoals Central Office and is expected to continue in six stages through Bull Shoals.

NATCO’s project is known as FTTH, or fiber to the home. The result, Sanders said, will be increased bandwidth to homes in Bull Shoals allowing many new, advanced services, faster broadband Internet service without a modem, and the potential for video offerings. Plans may extend the FTTH project to other towns in the NATCO service area.

Sanders and Resident Engineer Douglas Smith recently told the Bull Shoals City Council that the project demonstrates NATCO’s commitment to continue to offer services and upgrade their facilities. “This is a very expensive project and we are investing millions of dollars,” he stated.

Since 1993, NATCO has been a leader in digital telecom technology. A $15 million “rebuild” project started in 1993 and brought fiber optic transmission lines to key locations in the two-county (Marion and Boone Counties) telephone company service area and upgraded switching equipment. By 1995, NATCO offered an Internet bulletin board system, email, and videoconferencing before Web surfing entered the daily lives of Americans.

NATCO’s announcement of the FTTH project follows a $2 million upgrade in late 2007 and early 2008 which brought fiber to the node (FTTN), closer to the customer premise. In mid-2008, Smith studied optical networks at the University of Wisconsin with other professional engineers, and NATCO introduced all digital voice mail which can be accessed through email.

For further information, anyone in Bull Shoals with questions or concerns about the project may email: construction@natconet.com, or call toll free, 800-775-6682.

NATCO is a family owned and operated telecommunications company, since 1951, providing telephone service to six exchanges: Bull Shoals, Flippin, Diamond City, Lead Hill, Pyatt, and Omaha. NATCO Technologies is the Internet services division with customers throughout the area, including Baxter County. It also offers WildBlue satellite speed Internet.