Exhibit 32

                                CenturyTel, Inc.

                                November 14, 2003


VIA EDGAR TRANSMISSION

Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20549

         Re:  CenturyTel, Inc.
              Certification of Contents of Form 10-Q for the period
              ending September 30, 2003, pursuant to Section 906 of
              the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         CenturyTel, Inc. (the "Company") filed today, via EDGAR, its quarterly
report on Form 10-Q for the period ending September 30, 2003. The undersigned,
acting in their capacities as the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief
Financial Officer of the Company, certify that the Form 10-Q fully complies with
the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, and that the information contained in the Form 10-Q fairly presents, in
all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the
Company for the period covered by such report.

         This certification is being furnished as an exhibit to the Form 10-Q
solely to comply with the requirements of Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-204, and should not be deemed to be filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, either as a part of the Form 10-Q or
otherwise.

         A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has
been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished
to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.

Very truly yours,



/s/  Glen F. Post, III                         /s/ R. Stewart Ewing, Jr.
---------------------------                    ------------------------------
  Glen F. Post, III                               R. Stewart Ewing, Jr.
  Chairman of the Board                           Executive Vice President and
  and Chief Executive Officer                     Chief Financial Officer