Standing the Test of Time
D.L. and Estelle Fail purchased their hometown telephone company in 1923. The deal included one manual switchboard, a handful of telephone poles, and 120 loyal customers. The Fails operated the company from a spare bedroom in their home with a mission to “make it easier for people to connect”.
The business gained another employee when the Fails' oldest son, Charlie, was born in 1929. Charlie Fail grew up in the telephone business, repairing equipment and climbing telephone poles - learning the telephone service industry from the ground up.
After serving overseas in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Charlie returned home to work for the family business once more. In 1958, he married the love of his life and wife of 57 years, Dorothea “Dot” Cooper. Later that year, they welcomed their first child, Donna.
By 1973, the family business had evolved into a holding company for a network of independent telephone companies connecting friends, families, and communities in four states.
Charlie and Dot, along with support from their children, Donna and Cy, founded Fail Telecommunications Corporation, a holding company for three of those original telephone companies.
Estelle Fail was featured in Mississippi Magazine for pioneering telecommunications in Mississippi.
The Fail Family celebrated 100 years and 4 generations of exceptional telecommunications services. Great-granddaughters Christa and Ali continue that legacy by investing in the communities they serve with fiber optic broadband.
New name. Same trusted service. Arriva translates to “arrived” - a new generation and a new enhanced connection have arrived. Arriva is still a family-run, women-owned business with many loyal employees and valued customers in Mississippi and Georgia. Building on a history of success, Arriva seeks to honor its rich past, while looking confidently to the future.