Cox Calls On Sprint For Wireless Services Launch

Cox Communications Monday said it is teaming up with Sprint Nextel to provide wireless services and is also building its own 3G network.

Atlanta-based Cox said it plans to use Sprint's network to step up its own efforts to enter the market in 2009. Cox said it will bundle entertainment and communications services, such as digital cable, high-speed Internet and telephone.

"Wireless service will be a key driver to Cox's future growth," said Pat Esser, president of Cox Communications, in a statement. "Our bundled customers will become even 'stickier.' We will manage every aspect of the service, from product development to marketing and sales to back-office operations and customer support and billing."

Cox is also building its own 3G wireless network for additional market launches next year and will test 4G technology using LTE (long term evolution).

"We've already invested more than $500 million to acquire wireless spectrum and to develop the infrastructure and human resources needed to architect our own advanced wireless service," said Esser.

In the Federal Communications Commission's 700MHz auction, Cox paid $304.6 million for 22 licenses, in the A and B blocks, in California, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma. Cox's largest single winning bid was $84.1 million for an A-block license in San Diego.

The new services from Cox will finally position the company to compete against behemoths AT&T and Verizon, which already offer wireless services. In the FCC auction, Verizon and AT&T garnered 83 percent of the total bids.

Verizon and Cox went toe-to-toe this year after Verizon accused Cox of six patent infringements regarding VoIP technology. On Oct. 7, a judge ruled against Verizon.

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