Cox Communications, the only major MSO building its own 3G network, is no longer in the 3G business. In a story first reported in sister publication FierceWireless, Cox confirmed that it will "soon" decommission its 3G network and become a Sprint (NYSE: S) MVNO.
Cox had been going its own way in wireless, building out infrastructure via its AWS spectrum. Cox, which had been part of an earlier version Pivot wireless joint venture with Sprint, did not join cable brethren Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Bright House Networks when they invested in Sprint-supported Clearwire (Nasdaq: CLWR) as a part of a data-centric 4G/WiMAX mobile wireless play. Cox went its own way with a 3G buildout that now, apparently, has gone away in favor of the more conventional Sprint MVNO.
"We believe this approach is good for our customers, allowing us to take the necessary steps to fulfill our promise to deliver a Cox experience that customers expect from us," Cox spokesman David Dellman told FierceWireless. "We will accomplish speed to market while achieving greater operational efficiencies from a wholesale model that continues to improve."
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