Cox launches mobile phone pilot program in Hampton Roads amid rise of internet competitors

Cable television and internet company Cox Communications is wading into the mobile phone network business, and Hampton Roads home internet customers can now access the new service.

The region is among a handful of pilot locations the company is launching its Cox Mobile service in before expanding later this year, the company announced Monday. Other pilot locations include Omaha, Nebraska, and Las Vegas.

The service has two tiers: a pay-as-you-go data plan starting at $15 a month and an unlimited data plan beginning at $45 a month.

Notably, the service is only available currently to Cox home internet customers, according to the announcement.

Much of Hampton Roads also has access to Cox’s 5G network, which has higher data speeds than the company’s nationwide 4G network.

In the announcement, Cox Communications President Mark Greatrex said the company had performed extensive research on what its customers want from a mobile provider.

“Cox Mobile gives our customers what they asked for — a simple, flexible and reliable mobile experience wherever they go,” Greatrex said.

Cox is launching the service as more and more high-speed internet competitors announce plans to enter the Hampton Roads market. In July, internet provider Lumos announced it was bringing an $83 million high-speed fiber network to parts of Virginia Beach, Portsmouth and Chesapeake without access to Verizon Fios. Norfolk, long a city where Cox is the only high-speed internet provider, is getting a fiber network from MetroNet, which was announced in April 2021.

For more information, visit cox.com/mobile.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com