Cable Operators Expand Wireless

Pivot-branded mobile now in 16 markets with Cox and Bright House launches this week. Two cable operators belonging to Sprint Nextel’s cable industry joint venture this week introduce Pivot-branded wireless phone service in key markets, a move that expands their bundled service offerings from triple-play to quadruple-play packages.

Cox Communications yesterday launched Pivot-branded Sprint cellphone service in its New England division, including Connecticut and Rhode Island, where it plans to add local channels to Pivot’s standard TV lineup, which includes Fox News, ABC News Now and the Weather Channel.

Cox New England product manager Joan Lawlor tells the Providence Journal the company "is looking into offering the Rhode Island News Channel, which is a continuously repeating news broadcast produced by WLNE Channel 6 that’s now available only on Cox’s cable system."

Pricing plans for Cox New England’s Pivot service range from $29.99/mo. to $199.00/mo for the Pivot Voice package to $49.99/mo. to $214.99/mo. for Pivot Plus plans that include multimedia premium content such as music.

Bright House Networks also launched Pivot today in its flagship Central Florida division, which includes Greater Orlando.

The Advance/Newhouse-owned operator’s quadruple play plans now bundle Pivot wireless phone, digital cable TV, digital phone and Road Runner high speed online service.

Bright House’s Pivot pricing plans range from $33/mo. to $199/mo. for Pivot Voice and $48/mo. to $214/mo. for Pivot Plus incorporating multimedia features.

Sprint Nextel, which recently replaced John Garcia as president of the Sprint-cable JV with BellSouth alum Keith Cowan, plans to roll out the Pivot brand (which maintains its own consumer website, MyPivot.com) to 40 metro areas this year.

With this week’s market launches, Pivot wireless service has been launched in 16 markets by its MSO members:

• Comcast: Boston, MA; Portland, OR

• Time Warner Cable: Kansas City, KS; Raleigh, NC; Cincinnati and Dayton, OH; Austin, San Antonio and Waco, TX; and Green Bay and Milwaukee, WI

• Cox: Arizona, Oklahoma, San Diego and New England

• Bright House: Central Florida.

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