Cox Takes Occasion to Crow

The cable company has reason to celebrate, its numbers are up and Cox has managed to successfully sell bundled digital services.

by ISP-Planet Staff [February 23, 2001]

Cox Communications, Inc. this week announced that it has reached several key milestones in the deployment of advanced broadband communications services. At the end of January, the company had more than 250,000 residential digital telephone customers and more than 500,000 residential high-speed Internet access customers.

Cox also noted another important milestone was attained, in that more than 650,000 users signed up for its bundled service plan-bundled customers are those subscribing to two or more Cox services-typically basic or digital cable, plus a digital telephone calling plan or high-speed Internet access.

Competitive success
Jim Robbins, Cox Communications president and chief executive officer, said the cable company's accomplishments is proof that the 1996 Telecom Act if being fulfilled.

"It's fitting that these significant achievements coincide with the fifth anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which opened up the telecom industry to competition and allowed Cox to expand its offerings to include telephone and data services," Robbins said.

"Since the Act's passage, Cox has grown from a one-product cable television company into an advanced broadband communications company delivering multiple services to homes and businesses," he added.

Digital bundle
Cox was the first communications provider to offer all three services-digital cable, digital telephone and high-speed Internet access-over a single broadband pipe. In Orange County, California, the first market in which all three services were available, Cox now has more than 20 percent market penetration in communication and services.

David Pugliese, Cox vice president of sales and new product management, said the company is very pleased with its competitive position and initial results in the market.

"Five years is a short time for significant change to occur in such a vast marketplace as telecommunications," Pugliese said. "But we feel that consumers have benefited from the Telecom Act and will continue to do so through competition and innovation in the industry."

Cox first launched its high-speed Internet service in December 1996 under the Cox@Home brand. As of January 31, it offered high-speed Internet access to 518,000 customers under three brands-Cox@Home, Roadrunner and Cox Express-in 22 markets across the nation.

Cox Communications serves approximately 6.2 million customers nationwide, making it the fifth largest cable television company in the U.S.

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