NATCHEZ — The City of Natchez is close to signing an agreement with AT&T, which plans to expand its U-verse service in Natchez.

Mike Walker with AT&T reported to the Natchez Board of Aldermen this week that AT&T intends to bring U-verse TV, Internet and phone service to the city.

U-verse is a digital service that works using the Internet, fiber optic technology and computer networking to provide TV, Internet and phone service.

The company rolled out its U-verse TV service in 2012, and it is available in select parts of the city.

The franchise agreement between the city and AT&T will be similar to the one the city has with Cable ONE. The city will receive 5 percent of gross revenue.

Walker said rolling out the service will be a slow process. The company, he said, offers the service first in parts of the city where the infrastructure is already in place.

“It’s a slow process because it is a very expensive undertaking,” Walker said.

Residents who live in an area where the service is available will receive a notice in the mail, Walker said.

U-verse broadband Internet is faster than DSL, Walker said.

Ward 3 Alderwoman Sarah Smith, who is chair of the city’s utilities committee, said she believes the U-verse service is a positive for the city because it gives residents another option for service.

“And people that can’t do satellite because of trees or other things around their house, they will have another option,” she said.

The city does not receive any revenue from satellite companies because the city cannot collect a franchise fee, Smith said.

AT&T Spokesperson Sue Sperry has said one of the main advantages of U-verse is that it does not experience outages like cable and satellite.

U-verse TV service communicates using high-speed fiber optics to a video hub office, Sperry said, and allows AT&T to add programming and features without adding cost, unlike cable, she said.

Residents can find out if their house is eligible for U-verse TV service by visiting att.com and checking availability using their address.