Southern Kansas Telephone Company, Inc., was founded in 1940, and has been owned and operated by the Mikesell Family from its beginning. The Company provides regulated and unregulated telecommunications products and services to customers in seven counties of south central Kansas. Over the years the company has moved from providing telephone service in three communities, to now providing a sophisticated blend of telecommunications products and services in 21 Kansas communities.

To build versatility into the Southern Kansas Telephone heritage, SKT was chosen as a new corporate name. Our logo highlights the areas in which we offer products and services -- Information, Communications and Entertainment – or, as we refer to it, the ICE arena. The SKT logo is common to all the areas we serve.


Under Information, we provide Internet service to 19 Kansas communities through Southern Kansas Telephone Company. Through this same company, local and long distance telephone service comprises our Communications piece and is provided to 14 Kansas. And Entertainment, our cable television services, are provided through Southern Kansas Telephone Company and, Clearwater Cable Vision, to 13 communities in Kansas. Collectively, the SKT family of companies serves more than 12,000 customers from its corporate headquarters in Clearwater, Kansas.

Many exciting changes have occurred for our customers, communities, and employees with the evolution of Southern Kansas Telephone Company into SKT, the telecommunications company. To supplement our traditional service offerings, we have launched numerous new products and services. In the spring of 2000, we introduced SKT WorldLink, our long distance service, and TurboLink, our high speed Internet service. We launched MetroLink in the summer of 2000, our discounted Wichita metro areas calling plan. In the winter of 2000, we announced the availability of DigitalVue, expanding our cable television offering to 150 channels. And in the spring of 2001, we launched SKTMainstreet.com, our Internet site focused on assisting rural communities communicate.

The Information Age is here. These are exciting times for customers, with all the choices in telecommunications products and services available to enhance their lives. Everyone at SKT will continue to strive to provide quality, competitively priced Information, Communications and Entertainment products and services to meet a wide spectrum of current and future customer needs, and encourage the utilization of our system.
 
Significant Events in the History of
Southern Kansas Telephone Company

1940 -- Southern Kansas Telephone Company was formed by Edwin and Dorothy Mikesell, and provided telephone service to the Burden, Atlanta, and Dexter, Kansas communities.

1954 -- Southern Kansas Telephone Company, Inc. was formed, merging the original company with Clearwater Telephone Company, and now provided telephone service to eight Kansas communities.

1966 -- With the acquisition of the Beaumont, Piedmont, Reece, and Rosalia, Kansas telephone exchanges, the company now provided telephone service to 13 communities across seven Kansas counties.

1979 to 1983 -- Clearwater Cable Vision was formed, and constructed cable television systems in Clearwater, Belle Plaine, Burden, and Leon, Kansas.

1987 to 1994 -- Upgraded all telephone switching and outside plant facilities, and completed a conversion to all one-party service.

1998 -- Launched dial-up Internet service in all telephone service areas.
-- With the acquisition of the Atlanta, Dexter, Grenola, Longton, Cedar Vale, Moline, Howard, Severy, Elk City, and Dearing, Kansas systems, the company now provided cable television service to 14 Kansas communities.
-- Acquired Elsie Communications, a single exchange telephone company in Elsie, Nebraska.

1999 -- With the acquisition of Dalton Telephone Company, serving customers in Dalton, Gurley, Lodgepole, Bushnell, and Dix, Nebraska, all located in the southern part of the panhandle, the company now provided telephone service to six communities across seven Nebraska counties. Also with the acquisition, the company now provided cable television service to five Nebraska communities.

2000 -- Announced SKT as new corporate name, and introduced new logo
-- With the launch of dial-up Internet service in Moline, Howard, Cedar Vale, Severy, and Leon, Kansas, the company now provided Internet service in 19 Kansas and six Nebraska communities.
-- Introduced SKT WorldLink long distance service
-- Introduced TurboLink high speed Internet service.
-- Introduced MetroLink, a discounted Wichita metro area calling plan.
-- Introduced DigitalVue, expanding cable television offering to 150 channels.

2001 -- Launched SKTMainstreet.com, our Internet site focused on assisting rural communities communicate.