Your Future Begins Here. MTE’s journey began in 1909 with a few miles of copper wire and a dream to outfit rural America with telephone services. Since then, the wire has been replaced with fiber optics, but MTE’s community focus and customer-centered philosophy remains unchanged. Due to his resolute community values, in 2008, MTE’s owner chose to convert the family-owned company into an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Doing so protected lo...