CHOCTAW, Miss. — The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) is alerting tribal members and other residents across Mississippi that AT&T plans to disconnect traditional home phone lines, alarm lines, and fax lines beginning in November 2026.
In an official notice from the tribe’s Office of Information Technology, Chief Information Officer Adam T. Morrison informed the community that AT&T will decommission its wire centers nationwide, with the local deadline set for November 2026. According to the letter, any lines that have not been migrated by that time will be disconnected.
“This will affect all tribal and non-tribal homes in Mississippi,” the notice states. “There is no replacement option. If you need phone service, cellular phones will be the only option from AT&T after November.”
The decommissioning is part of a broader AT&T effort to phase out legacy copper wire infrastructure in favor of modern alternatives. The notice quotes AT&T directly: “November 2026 your wire center will be decommissioned. At that time, the lines will be disconnected if not migrated.”
For residents seeking alternatives, the tribe highlighted two options for those with high-speed internet access:
- MaxxSouth: https://www.maxxsouth.com/phone
- OOMA Basic home phone service: https://www.ooma.com/home-phone-service/basic/
The letter emphasizes that AT&T will not provide a direct replacement for traditional landline service.
Residents needing more information are directed to contact AT&T directly at 1-800-288-2020 (Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.–7 p.m.). Tribal members are advised not to contact MBCI IT, as the tribe has not received additional details beyond the notification.
Morrison’s office urged community members to share the information with elders, tribal members, and neighbors who rely on home phone service for safety, medical alerts, or daily communication.
