Cox Communications said it will provide details on its forthcoming wireless service in the "next few weeks." The company had previously promised to launch its wireless offering in March.
In the meantime, the company is testing the service with "friendly" customers in Hampton Roads, Va., Omaha, Neb., and soon in Orange County, Calif., Cox spokesman David Grabert told FierceWireless. Friendly customers are either employees or friends and family of employees, he said. Cox is using the tests to tweak service before expanding to more markets. The effort is to "make sure that our customers have our best experience," Grabert said.
"That's pretty typical for us," Grabert explained. "Cox is very methodological with new service deployments."
Grabert added that "in the next few weeks we're going to see details on rate plans and devices," but declined to provide a specific date.
Cox plans to deploy its CDMA EV-DO network--via suppliers Starent and Huawei--on its own AWS spectrum, and eventually plans to migrate to LTE via its 700 MHz holdings. The carrier's current wireless efforts rely on Sprint Nextel's network, an interim step as the company prepares its own network.
In January, the MSO launched a website, Unbelievablyfair.com, and several TV advertisements highlighting its planned wireless service. The campaign seems designed to tap into consumers' gripes with unforeseen overage charges and the loss of unused voice minutes.
For more:
- see this Orange County Register article
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