Sparklight Breaks It Before Customers

This story was originally featured in CFX: The Magazine‘s latest Top Ops issue, where Cable One and Sparklight Mobile were awarded Product Launch of the Year. To read the full magazine, check out the digital edition here or visit the Top Ops website. 

When Cable One decided it was time to get off the sidelines and into the mobile game, it knew it would never be able to gain consumers’ trust if it didn’t have buy-in from within. That’s why leadership made Sparklight Mobile’s launch a company-wide collaboration from Day 1, with Marketing, Operations, Technology, Customer Care, Corporate Communications and teams all across the organization leading the charge.

It started first with an internal group dubbed the Sparklight Mobile Insiders that included associates in sales, marketing, operations, technology, call centers, field technicians and more. They tackled everything: trying out different devices in different geographies, using an eSIM vs a physical SIM, porting phone numbers and getting brand new numbers.

“The main challenge I gave them was to break it before a customer could,” says Director of Product Management Ryan Kelly. “We felt like if we could get a lot of people involved early on with testing the product, then they could really spread the word almost in like a grassroots style to our customers and really vouch for how easy it is to purchase, how much money they can save and how reliable the network is.”

Sparklight Mobile stands out as CFX’s Product of the Year honoree for going beyond employees as testers, with every department 100% part of the launch. At the center was a campaign developed by the Corporate Communications team—Connect for a Cause—which donated $10 for every new mobile line activated in select markets, resulting in $10,000 for local animal shelters.

“Rather than looking at it as a one-time product announcement, we wanted to look at it as a month-long campaign, so we could amplify the visibility of some of the hardworking nonprofits in our areas alongside our new affordable mobile service that keeps customers connected,” says Jamie O’Driscoll, Cable One’s Communications Manager.

In April 2026, Cable One completed its full-footprint launch, introducing bundled wireless plans starting at $15 per month with Sparklight internet and a promotional offer providing eligible customers with one free unlimited line for 12 months. Customers could also bring their own devices and add optional Mobile Device Care for added protection.

After reaching its first major subscriber milestone, Sparklight Mobile achieved the next milestone four times faster, reflecting the impact of increased brand awareness, full footprint availability and continual process improvements. Weekly activations increased more than 15-fold during the rollout and more than 60% of new subscribers chose to transfer their existing wireless number to Sparklight Mobile, demonstrating trust in Sparklight as their wireless provider.

For Kelly, that number surprised him. “I was thinking we’d be less than 50%,” he says. “I thought a lot of people would actually just get a new number, try it out, see if it worked… The fact that our customers were willing to use a number they’ve had for years and move that over to a new carrier—I think that’s why we’ve had that trust.”

That trust is now the foundation for what’s next. Sparklight Mobile currently operates on a bring-your-own-device model, but it plans to begin offering devices directly before the end of the year. Kelly’s team is also focused on expanding beyond single-line customers to entire households, encouraging families who trusted Sparklight with one line to bring over the rest.

More than a successful product launch, Sparklight Mobile marked Cable One’s evolution from a broadband provider into a full-service connectivity provider. It also established a repeatable model for introducing new products. It’s a formula it plans to lean on again: disciplined execution paired with local impact, creating launches that resonate with customers, associates and the communities Sparklight serves.

Fast Facts

•  6 — animal shelters supported across select markets through Connect for a Cause
• $1,500 — guaranteed minimum donation to each participating shelter, regardless of activation totals
•  70 — surrendered dogs taken in by one local shelter that helped inspire the cause selection