HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF PLATEAU WIRELESS

Early Beginnings
Out of the vision of management and the Board at Eastern New Mexico Rural Telephone Cooperative (ENMR) that was formed in 1949, new technology and a growing demand for mobile telephone service compelled the leaders to start a subsidiary operation specifically for this type of service. Licenses were acquired for the first cellular tower sites in the New Mexico communities of Clovis and Portales along with one in the small farming community of Needmore, Texas. These sites were turned up in November of 1990 under the franchise name, Cellular 3.

Growing Pains
By the mid-1990s, the wireless operations expanded greatly through partnership arrangements and other acquisitions throughout large segments of eastern New Mexico and west Texas. The name was changed to Plateau Cellular Network during this time frame. Several Rural Service Areas (RSAs) were created and considered the "home area" for wireless mobile telephone service with headquarters in Clovis. Among the RSAs established was RSA 2 that included nearly all or large parts of Union, Harding, Colfax, and Mora Counties. RSA that included all or parts of the New Mexico counties of Curry, Quay, Guadalupe, Torrance, San Miquel, De Baca, and Roosevelt. RSA 6 was hosted by all or parts of Eddy, Chaves, and Lincoln Counties. Texas counties included in RSA TX 3 were Parmer, Castro, Swisher, Hale, Lamb, Bailey, Cochran, Yoakum, Terry, and Hockley. The RSA TX 3 operations were established under a partnership arrangement with several telephone cooperatives including West Texas Rural Telephone, Mid-Plains, South Plains, and Five-Area Telephone Cooperatives. Other far west Texas holdings that created RSA 12, 13, &14 were sold to Southwestern Bell Telephone in 2000.

Today's Service
As the wireless business grew during the decade, a new subsidiary name was established in an effort to bring closer the two operating companies. In 1998, the name, Plateau Wireless became the subsidiary's operational name (and product offering) as a part of the broader, Plateau Telecommunications, Inc. Today there exist 126 cell sites/towers, 13 retail store locations, and 40 agents who sell the Plateau Wireless products.

Plateau has maintained an excellent response from its 63,000 customers in regard to its quality of service and caring for customers. It has provided rural areas with access to mobile phone service at great expense during the past dozen years. There is continued prospect for growth and as demand continues, Plateau will be there with the first and the best in products and service.