Cox/Verizon Bundle Branches into Arizona, Las Vegas

Cox Communications and Verizon Wireless have extended their cable and mobile services bundle to metro Phoenix and southern Arizona, as well as Las Vegas.

To lure customers to the offer, new and current Cox and Verizon customers who sign up for the cable/wireless bundle are in line to get a pre-paid Visa debit card valued up to $100, depending on how many video, Internet, home voice and 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless services are packed in.  The MSO and mobile services giant are promoting the packages at dozens of  Verizon  Wireless Communications Stores and Cox Solutions Stores.

"Expanding this arrangement throughout Arizona marks the next step in the process to bolster the value of our services and addresses the needs and convenience of our customers," said Cox vice president of sales Jerry Gallegos, in a statement.

Cox and Verizon Wireless struck a multifaceted service bundling deal in December 2011 that included the sale of Cox's Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum to the mobile carrier for $315 million.  Earlier, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks sold their respective AWS spectrum to Verizon Wireless for a grand total of $3.6 billion, and also forged co-marketing relationships with the mobile carrier.

The Verizon Wireless deal filled a wireless gap for Cox, which previously had been selling a Cox-branded mobile services on Sprint Nextel's 3G network and had started to build out its own LTE network.  Cox announced it would scuttle that plan in the fall of 2011.

In addition to Arizona and Las Vegas, Cox and Verizon Wireless have extended their co-selling relationship to select cities in California, Kansas, northwest Arkansas, as well as Oklahoma  City and Tulsa.