About Us

Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company first started when a group of four farmers east of Lismore bought a telephone and wired them together so they could communicate. Another group of farmers west of Lismore did the same thing a few years later. The farmers then wired their phones into a house in Lismore, which served as Lismore's first switchboard.

In 1907, nine different lines were established, and a cooperative board was formed, one member representing each line. 107 shareholders bought into the cooperative for $50 per share. Lismore became one of the first telephone co-ops. In 1958, the cooperative updated to dial telephones. Crank-style phones became a thing of the past. Then, in 1973, Lismore Telephone became one of the first to introduce private lines. 1978 marked the era of touch-tone phones, and by 1985, digital switching was installed to bring the customers speed dialing and three-way calling.

Lismore Telephone customers now have their choice of long-distance carriers thanks to fiber-optic toll lines being installed prior to the new phone switch installation in 1996.

In 2009, Lismore Telephone upgraded all the copper telephone lines with fiber-optic lines. This upgrade will help with voice and sound quality, along with giving Lismore Telephone the capability of offering High-Speed internet to the local telephone customers. With this new technology, Lismore Telephone will be able to offer more services in the future.

In 1990, Lismore Telephone became a cellular retail agent for Cellular 2000, then in 1995 for Midwest Wireless and eventually Verizon Wireless. In 2025, the business was sold.

Today, Lismore Coop Telephone Company serves about 340 telephone subscribers, employs an office of six, and is led by 9 board members.