Cox Communications is heating up its wifi connectivity.
The cable and Internet provider on Jan. 14 launched its first installment of wifi hotspots, which include 249 hotspots through the county, with 30 in Chula Vista and 30 in National City.
“We are really excited to be able to bring this not only to our South Bay customers but to any of our customers,” said Cox spokeswoman Ceanne Guerra.
Cox subscribers can accesses some of the wifi hotspots in Chula Vista near Mike’s Auto Repair and Smog Check at 300 E St., close to the Department of Motor Vehicles at 11 Third Ave., and by the Bank of America at 305 E St.
National City’s wifi hotspots include ones near Arco gas station at 1745 Highland Ave., in a lot adjacent to the Family House of Pancakes at l819 E. Plaza Blvd., and by the Harbison Laundromat at 933 Harbison Ave.
For a complete list of hotspots, download the Cox Mobile Connect app and sign in with a Cox account.
Cox customers who have internet service at the preferred or higher level of service have hotpsot access free of charge.
“We basically are offering it as just added value for the service,” Guerra said.
Wifi connectivity speeds are 15 Megabits per second, which Guerra said is about three times faster than hotspots that are tested for restaurants and cafes.
“Our customers are used to really fast (Internet) speeds at home, so we wanted to be able to give them that same experience when they’re outside of the home,” she said.
Subscribers who have the preferred or higher level of service make up about 75 percent of Cox’s Internet customers, Guerra said.
Non-Cox internet customers, or those who do not have the required level of service, can still take advantage of the wifi hotspots with a one-hour trial available at Cox.com.
Guerra said Wifi hotspots are accessible with a Smartphone, tablet or computer.
Guerra said the hotspots came about from customer demand. She said Cox surveyed its customers and found that the average home has six mobile devices. The survey, Guerra said, also showed that more customers are going outside their homes to use the Internet.
“We’ll definitely be looking at more South Bay locations. We’ll definitely be looking at Chula Vista and National City to add more hotspots.”
While Cox continues to build its own wifi network, it is also part of a collaboration called cable wifi — a collaboration of cable companies throughout the country. As cable companies are establishing their network people who are in other parts of the country can access the network.
Guerra said customers concerned with privacy shouldn’t worry because every Cox network is protected.
“Everything that we do with our network is all about security and safety,” she said.
