MILES OF NEW CABLE INSTALLED

Almost three years ago, a fiber-optic line was damaged in the Jackson area.

A number of customers from Jackson to Benton couldn't make or receive calls. In some cases the severed line caused a slow dial tone but didn't isolate service.

Three years, $26 million and 750 additional miles of fiber-optic cable later, such an incident is a rare happening.

"Most customers today won't even realize anything is wrong in the case of a damaged fiber," said Donna Burke, Southwestern Bell director of external affairs.

Southwestern Bell has committed to serving needs of rural markets by investing more than $26 million over the past three years in its Eastern Missouri fiber-optic network, said Burk.

For people served by the Cape Girardeau central office switch, the upgrade means telecommunications services now have more than one path to follow in the event of severed or damaged cable,

"The new fiber-optic technology enables users to benefit from high-speed access and technology," said Burke.

The three-year effort has changed the company's capabilities at more than 50 central offices.

Some 29 Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) rings ensure virtually 100 percent reliability of the network by rerouting calls in another direction, said Burk.

The latest effort has added more than 750 miles of fiber-optic cable to the Missouri network, including Cape Girardeau and communities throughout the Southeast Missouri area, reaching into Jackson, Malden, Caruthersville, Charleston, East Prairie, New Madrid, Farmington, Sikeston and other Bootheel areas.

"The effort also enhances the potential for new economic development," said Burk.

According to Burk, Southwestern Bell plans to continue upgrading its fiber-optic network as necessary to meet increased service demands, as well as to enable its residential and business customers to benefit from new technology.

In addition to upgrading its fiber-optic network in Missouri, Southwestern Bell has also applied to the Missouri Public Service Commission to provide long-distance service to telecommunications consumers across the state.

"Having served Missouri for more than 120 years, we are eager to offer high-quality, reliable, long-distance service to both residential and business customers."

Southwestern Bell first began using fiber-optic cable in Missouri in 1983. Since then, the company has installed nearly 6,000 miles of fiber-optic cable -- valued at $250 million -- to serve the increasing telecommunications needs of residential and business customers.

Several schools throughout the area have received fiber-optic hookups, and digital offices were installed at Cape Girardeau and Dexter as early as 1992.

Overall, in 1998, Southwestern Bell spent more than $20 million, statewide, for central office SONET ring upgrades.