When Cox Communications executives decided in 1997 to start offer-ing telephone service to cable customers in affluent Orange County, Calif., the idea was viewed by many in the telephone industry with skepticism and uncertainty. After all, Pacific Bell had a loyal cus-tomer base in the area between Los Angeles and San Diego, and Cox had little experience in the phone business. Seven years later, Cox has morphed into the 12th largest telephone company in the United States. Its initial phone experiment, bolstered with sophisticated marketing efforts, highly competitive pricing and a strong emphasis on customer service, has blossomed into a bonafide CLEC phone business that successfully competes head-on with incumbent Bell carriers around the country.
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