What Network Does Cox Mobile Use?

If you clicked through to this article and are just looking for a quick answer, we’ll get right to it—Cox Mobile provides wireless service via towers on Verizon’s network. Many of today’s mobile providers employ a similar model; for instance, Spectrum, Xfinity, and Optimum all use Verizon towers, too. Meanwhile, Cricket Wireless uses the AT&T network and Mint Mobile uses T-Mobile’s network. 

Many companies like Cox that were originally cable providers are now adding wireless to their offerings by leasing access to towers on the networks of either AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, or UScellular. Companies like Cox Mobile that don’t own their network and provide wireless service via another provider network are called MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators). In this post, we’ll discuss how Cox mobile plans work, the type of coverage you can expect from Cox on the Verizon network, and where Cox Mobile is available.

Cox ventured into the wireless service industry in 2022, and they’ve made quite a splash. As a bit of background, they’re the third largest cable Internet provider in the US, with services across 19 states and 23.3 million people.

If you’re a Cox customer or are thinking about switching, you might wonder how their service works and how good it is. You’re in the right place. We’ll cover everything you need to know about Cox Mobile to make an informed decision.

If you’re still deciding which plan is best for you, try our free, unbiased Plan Finder to find the right cell phone plan based on your criteria in a matter of seconds.

Cox Mobile Network

Cox has a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement with Verizon. Basically, an MVNO is a company that doesn’t own its own licensing or towers but sells mobile services using another provider’s cellular network and licensing.

For the MVNO, it saves the costs associated with licensing as well as building and maintaining the network. Rather than building networks from the ground up, which is costly and takes a long time, they use an already established network. This is how MVNOs, like Cox, are able to provide their customers with savings.

In this case, Cox uses Verizon’s licensing and network. They first launched in the fall of 2022 and have been aggressively adding to the variety of devices their service supports.   

Is Cox Mobile Good?

Let's start with coverage - because Verizon has nationwide coverage, Cox Mobile does as well. Bacially, you can expect the same level of 4G LTE and 5G coverage with Cox Mobile as you’d get with Verizon (assuming your phone is 5G-compatible). 

BUT, and it’s a big but, Cox ONLY offers mobile service to Cox Internet customers. If you’re not a current Cox home Internet customer, Cox Mobile cell phone plans are not available to you. If you are a customer, or if it’s offered in your area and you might consider switching/purchasing, keep reading.

One of the biggest perks of an MVNO is the price break. More and more cable companies are entering the mix. Providers like Optimum Mobile, Xfinity Mobile, and Spectrum Mobile offer less expensive mobile plans than the big three wireless providers.

You do need to look over what exactly each provider offers, the coverage, and any limitations or constraints to their plans.

For example, Cox Mobile doesn’t offer as much premium data as the big three providers. Plus, after you’ve used up your monthly premium data, Cox slows your data speeds—that’s a key difference between MVNOs and traditional network operators. 

Cox Mobile Phone Plans

Cox offers one unlimited plan called Cox Mobile Gig Unlimited and a capped plan option called Cox Mobile Pay As You Gig.

Cox Mobile Gig Unlimited

You might be wondering if the Cox Gig Unlimited plan is a good option for you. The short answer is that it depends on your data usage. If you’re looking for a no-frills, budget-friendly-unlimited plan and you don’t have high data needs, Cox’s Gig Unlimited could be a great fit. For example, if you talk or text within the US and don’t use your phone for video streaming or online gaming, this plan has you covered.

But if you use your cell phone to binge-watch your favorite shows, spend hours surfing the web, post a lot on social media, or do other things that eat up data fast, this might not be the plan for you. 

It’s important to know that while Cox Mobile Gig Unlimited does give you unlimited data, it’s not all premium data. Once you reach the premium data allotment for a given month, your speed slows significantly. Basically, you’re stuck with speeds that are reminiscent of 3G until the next month’s billing cycle begins.

Check out our full guide to Cox Mobile Gig Unlimited for a deeper dive into plan details. 

Remember, finding your fit starts with understanding how much data you need. If Cox Mobile Gig Unlimited offers enough data for you, it’s well worth considering. If not, you might want to compare it to what the big three carriers have to offer with our overviews for Verizon unlimited plans, T-Mobile unlimited plans, and AT&T unlimited plans.

Cox Pay As You Gig

As the name suggests, with this plan, you pay by the Gigabyte. If you’re a light phone user who only needs a couple of GBs per month, then this is a great deal. But, beware of going over your GBs—that’s when this plan will cost you—which is easy to do if you use your phone for high-data activities like surfing the web, scrolling social media, watching videos, or online gaming. In other words, this Cox Pay As You Gig is best for those who don’t use their phones for anything much other than talking and texting.

What Is an MVNO?

As noted earlier in this article, an MVNO uses another provider’s network and licensing (in this case, Verizon). For Cox, this gives them the opportunity to deliver more services to their existing customers, bundling mobile with Internet service.

Then, Cox uses its brand awareness and marketing machine to share the news with its customers. It’s a very enticing deal for customers because it’s so much lower than most mobile carriers.

MVNOs do not need to pay for the infrastructure and maintenance of the network, so they can offer a much lower price to their end customers. But there are a few drawbacks: ·       

• Cap on data plans: Once you run out of premium data, expect a swift slowdown in services. Where any of the big three will only slow down minimally, and MVNO slows down to 3G, which is a big decrease for users who’ve grown accustomed to 4G and higher.
•  Fewer perks: MVNOs don’t offer the incentives that the big three offer customers, such as streaming subscriptions, phone upgrade deals, and more.       
• Not available everywhere: Cox is available in a little under half of the states in the US. Since you have to be a Cox Internet customer to enroll in a Cox Mobile plan, you may not have access where you live or may not be able to keep your Cox Mobile service if you move outside of Cox’s home Internet coverage area.

However, if you are located in an area that Cox serves, contracting their mobile service offers you great nationwide coverage via the Verizon network. And it can be a very budget-friendly phone plan option, especially if you don’t use a lot of data.

The Bottom Line

As an MVNO, Cox Mobile uses the Verizon network. For customers, this means the same nationwide coverage you’d enjoy as a Verizon customer. While the coverage areas are the same, there are perks to being a Verizon customer including more premium data and less reduction in speeds once you’ve exceeded your premium data for the month. That said, if Cox Mobile plans meet your data needs, the price is right.

Wondering if Cox is a good fit for you? It would be an excellent choice if you’re already a Cox Internet customer or interested in switching to them. If you’re someone who uses little data or you’re okay with a greater slowdown after reaching your data limit.

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