The Virginian-Pilot
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Cox Communications Inc. announced Tuesday that it will begin offering wireless phone service in Hampton Roads, entering the one business where it doesn't compete with big phone companies.
Cox, the region's dominant cable provider, is testing the service with a group of local customers and plans to expand it to the entire market next year.
The offering includes mobile phone and high-speed data plans and is intended to complete the package of cable-based TV, phone and Internet services that Cox now sells.
Hampton Roads is one of three markets where Cox is launching wireless service. The others are Omaha, Neb., and Orange County, Calif.
Cox, based in Atlanta, will partner with wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. and use its nationwide network, said Leigh Woisard, a spokeswoman at the company's local headquarters in Chesapeake. The company will offer phones and other devices under the Cox brand, as well as its own service plans and customer sales and support, she said.
Cox provided few details about the service, including the date it will become available or specifics about products and prices.
"It's just such a competitive market," Woisard said. "It's a market that's so able to react quickly that we're just not specifying."
The new service pits Cox against its chief rival, Verizon Communications Inc., in Hampton Roads. Verizon began offering TV service in parts of the region in January 2007 in addition to its own land line, wireless and Internet services. The companies hope to attract customers who want to bundle multiple services.
"They'll be entering a very competitive wireless market, and we certainly like our position," said Harry Mitchell, a Verizon spokesman, citing the quality of Verizon's wireless network. "We invest a lot in the network and we feel very comfortable."
Cox chose Hampton Roads as one of its first wireless markets because two-thirds of its customers subscribe to at least two services, Woisard said. "That suggests there is a healthy appetite for our existing customers to consider a wireless product from us."
Cox announced late last year that it would offer mobile services for residential and business customers in certain markets in 2009.
At the time, company officials said Cox was building its own third-generation wireless network and had spent more than $500 million acquiring wireless spectrum in federal auctions.
Cox is remodeling some of its local stores to sell wireless plans and products.
Carolyn Shapiro, (757) 446-2270, carolyn.shapiro@pilotonline.com
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This might not work
Do you think this is going to work? No, it will not work. And this will not help keep the bill down, it might make it worse. What we really need is better fiber optic technology to speed up these slow internet connections we have already, and get some more channels on our televisions and HD sets with these fancy HD boxes. I might give them call and see about it, but that does not mean I am going to cancel my other cell phone company. Great plan, but this is only the beginning. I hope they offer better phones.
Cox Wireless
Good show....I'm all for it! Verizon has not impressed me after buying out Alltel. We need more services bundled. WELCOME COX!
Coopetition
So I take it that Cox will be a reseller of Sprint services at discounted rates with "Cox" printed on the bill. Isn't it incredulous that technology is putting stagnant companies no matter their product, out of business quickly? Had C&P stayed as traditional local dialtone and Cox only stayed as traditional cable, both may have been much smaller by now. The market-driven vacuum for synergies are fast-approaching regarding Dish Network, DirecTV, Verizon, AT&T, Vodaphone, Sprint, Deutche Telekom with perhaps international reach if it can get past national security issues. Read yesterday that just 3% of the heaviest iPhone users who watch videos use 40% of the total bandwidth causing dropped or failed calls for other users- here comes the Meg-o-meter!
cox, the monopoly.
Cox Cable needs to be torn apart, sold off and its current management jailed.
Every agreement, with every local government should be investigated, and in every instance where cox is not in compliance with those agreements, then cox's management should be personally fined, and the compny denied license to operate.
cox cable is a monopoly in many areas, arrogant and irresponsible. It should be terminated.
It outright owns many of Virginia's politicians,-senators, governors, GA members.
It's nationwide cellular
It's a nationwide cellular service. It was in the financial news a month or so ago. They plan on pushing mobile video service and things like being able to program a Cox DVR from your phone. It won't be very hard to beat SprintTV which works if you're lucky.
Ah. I wonder what spectrum
Ah. I wonder what spectrum Cox will use for their new mobile phone service. Seems like an odd endeavor. Verizon only owns slightly more than half of Verizon wireless. In the cellular carrier world people whine if there isn't 5 bars of signal in the middle of nowhere.
With regards to programming DVR from cell phone, seems kind of odd, considering the world is going to a video on demand, video from the internet world. Shouldn't be a need for DVRs for very much longer.
Spectrum
Originally they were bidding on 700Mhz spectrum. I don't recall seeing a story on what they actually bought.
Is this fixed wireless type
Is this fixed wireless type service meant to reach customers that do not have access to cable? Or it is cellular service?
Cox needs to get realistic with their fibernet pricing, and start selling real bandwidth to businesses. $10 per megabit instead of $300 per megabit. Hampton Roads is so far behind most other markets in datacenter connectivty it's not funny. Need to crank up the fibernet to the year 2000 and get things moving.
wow
even though you talk about the datacenters in EVERY SINGLE THREAD.....it actually fit coherently within the topic this time. kudos!
It's cell phone service
It's mobile phone and aircard service on the Sprint network. They are doing the same thing that Boost Mobile, Straight Talk, and Virgin Mobile are doing. Branding their own service & plans on another network, like a CLEC.