Cox Discusses Their Wireless Plans Company working toward 2009 EVDO launch... Cox Communications Wireless Vice President Stephen Bye talks with Fierce Wireless on what it's like to be a cable company trying to enter a new business in a troubled economy. In the recent 700Mhz auction, Cox Communications won 14 Block A and 8 Block B licenses for bids totaling roughly $304 million. Through a joint venture with Sprint and several other cable companies, Cox also spent $2.37 billion to buy 137 AWS licenses. The company has since announced they plan to become a wireless carrier, starting with CDMA/EVDO and eventually making the jump to LTE. Bye has this to say about the guts of the new network: We own some of our own towers that we lease to other cellular operators and we'll be taking advantage of those assets. We have very deep fiber networks. We have existing call centers in all our markets. And in addition to the voice network, we have a very extensive IP core data network and we'll be adding wireless to that as well. One of the biggest challenges to a wireless carrier is the backhaul ... and we have very deep fiber networks to support our broadband and video business. Cox says they'll have the system up and running in 2009, but they've yet to specify pricing or which markets will see the service first. Possible early targets for deployment are their largest metro markets: San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Pensacola, Florida, and Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia.
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  Smile__Premium
join:2008-10-10
New Freedom, PA | I hope they can make it. Since everyone is getting gobbled up by Verizon and ATT I would like to see more carriers... Pricing is too high now with Verizon and ATT... | |
|  MattAll noise, no signal.Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
kudos:12 |  Good
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| | | Wow! They spent that much to get in on wireless! No wonder there are now layoffs, no raises, and no bonuses. | |
|  |  Fubar
join:2001-02-20
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:2 | Re: Wow! said by MoneyBags :
They spent that much to get in on wireless! No wonder there are now layoffs, no raises, and no bonuses.
Huh? This was all long before the economy went sour... Nad I think Cox did well with only laying of 2% of it's workforce.. | |
| | | | said by MoneyBags :
No wonder there are now layoffs, no raises, and no bonuses.
Yes, they had layoffs (through a combination of early retirement and layoffs it was 2%). But I can tell you they didn't freeze raises or bonuses across the board. | |
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Jonbo298
join:2004-01-12
Council Bluffs, IA | On the go.. Hopefully Cox uses it more then that dead on arrival "partnership" between Sprint and other Cableco's. TV on the go would be nice even if its niche right now, it has alot of room to grow from what it is now. They just have to market things appropriately and not try to outdo the biggest wireless carriers since their markets will likely be limited unless they really rake it in and branch out. | |
|  The BeerI Love It When A Plan Comes TogetherPremium
join:2001-07-24
Atlantic, IA | Omaha I would think Omaha would be a no brainer, Verizon needs to dump their assets for the Alltel purchase and only has towers in Omaha, Lincoln and the 30 miles in between.
Cox could buy a decent system that's plug and play, ready to roll and the seller HAS to sell it.
Who else is going to buy a CDMA system in Nebraska that services so few when everyone else has more towers already? | |
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1 edit | Re: Omaha I think Omaha was one of the first to launch phone and HSI for cox. I am pretty sure on Phone, but not HSI.
hopefully it allow cox dvr customers to rogram the dvr over the phone. | |
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 jgkoltPremium
join:2004-02-21
Lakewood, OH | COX Cox has been relatively pretty good int he cleveland, ohio market. I look forward to see their wireless product. | |
| | Rob_Premium
join:2008-07-16
Mary Esther, FL | Re: COX i still think they should stick to cable tv and 'net. Karl, was this the URL i gave you last night?
-Rob | |
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| | Smarts If they didnt get into Phone when they did, they would have been in big toruble in todays market. Cox has done very well with the decisions and products.
As for lay offs? Who isnt laying off? Not to bright of a comment if you don't understand the economy and the lack of growth when you cover your entire foot print..
meeeehehh | |
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