Cox Mobile Gives Consumers Another Choice for Wireless Services

On January 5, Cox Communications announced the launch of Cox Mobile. The mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service is available to its Internet subscribers in Cox's geographic markets. It is reported that Cox Mobile harnesses over 4 million Cox Wi-Fi hot spots in combination with Verizon's 5G cellular network.

As pointed out in blog posts from May, September, and October 2022, consumer adoption of cable wireless MVNO services that are bundled with fixed residential cable broadband Internet access services continues to grow. The launch of Cox Mobile is another indicator of the competitiveness of the wireless marketplace. Consumers living in Cox's footprint will now gain an additional choice for mobile wireless services. 

Notably, these hybrid-model cable wireless MVNOs are not mere resellers. They rely, in substantial part, on their own network facilities. And it is widely expected that these competitive cable wireless MVNOs will put more of their own licensed spectrum into use and thereby reduce their business costs for leasing wholesale access to mobile cellular networks. In 2023, it will be interesting to watch the technological development of these emergent services as well as consumer responses.