In 1895, local businessmen started the High Point Telephone Exchange in High Point, N.C. In 1899, J.F. Hayden, who started a telephone system in Thomasville, bought the High Point company; both companies grew quickly. In 1905, the High Point company was
incorporated as North State Telephone Company. In 1919, Hayden bought the
Southern Bell system in High Point, which had operated since 1907. In 1920 North State became the first telephone company in the state to install the
automatic-dial system. In 1929 the company bought the Randleman system, and in 1935 the Thomasville company became part of North State. In 2004, NorthState began offering
DirecTV digital satellite TV. In 2005, NorthState spent $30 million to begin offering the area's first
fiber optic residential service. In 2007, the company began offering
3G mobile service. On May 28, 2009, North State announced the brand name Plex, which included both landline and wireless telephone; high-speed Internet capable of 80 Mbits Down and 30Mbits Up; and Plex Advanced TV, a
cable TV alternative using
Internet Protocol with existing and expanded fiber optic lines capable of delivering
HDTV and standard
digital TV, as well as
video on demand and digital music. The company added fiber optic service in new areas as it began offering the new TV service during summer 2009. In 2010, North State ranked as one of the top 20 telecommunications companies in the United States.
Charlotte-based fiber optic service company Segra, part of MTN Infrastructure TopCo Inc., acquired North State in a $240 million deal completed May 19, 2020. At the time NorthState provided service to a area that includes High Point,
Thomasville,
Archdale,
Randleman,
Jamestown,
Trinity and parts of
Greensboro and
Kernersville. In October 2021, NorthState announced it joined with Lumos Networks. EQT Infrastructure has since sold Segra to
Cox Communications. During 2022, NorthState has begun the process of expanding fiber internet services to 48,000 customers in parts of Greensboro, High Point,
Oak Ridge,
Randleman and Kernersville, and all of Walkertown. On August 9, 2022, NorthState announced plans for further expansion to over 23,000 customers in parts of
Bethania,
Pfafftown,
Lewisville and
Winston-Salem as well as 15,000 customers in
Asheboro,
Franklinville and
Ramseur. Also in 2022, NorthState and
Orange County, North Carolina announced a partnership to use
American Rescue Plan money to bring fiber internet to 28,000 customers in Orange County. On August 15, 2022, NorthState said Lumos was the name of the new company formed by the merger of NorthState and Lumos Networks. == After the merger ==