ATLANTA, Dec. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Communications announced today that it launched more than 1,700 additional WiFi hotspots for Cox High Speed Internet customers in the Phoenix and Las Vegas this month. The latest Cox WiFi hotspots bring CoxWiFi service to six markets to date with many more planned for 2015, including hundreds of hotspots in San Diego after the first of the year.

As customers' needs and behaviors continue to change over time, especially with the explosive growth of smart phones, tablets and other connected devices, Cox WiFi is a value-added service that allows access to reliable high speed Internet in home and on the go. Subscribers to Cox's Preferred, Premier, Ultimate and GIGABLAST Internet packages will have free access to CoxWiFi, via WiFi hotspots, as part of their service. 

The WiFi launch comes on the heels of the company announcement that gigabit speeds are now available in the Phoenix Metropolitan area, offering consumers speeds 100 times faster than the average speed in the market today. Committed to offering access and choice, Cox also doubled the speeds of the two most popular Internet plans this year, increasing speeds for more than 70 percent of its customers.

"In addition to the incredible speeds Cox offers in the home, our customers want access to reliable high speed Internet wherever they are," said Len Barlik, executive vice president of product development and management at Cox Communications. "Providing them Cox WiFi service allows us to meet their changing information access needs, whether it's TV programming, social connections, home monitoring or simply general information that is reliable from the four walls of their home to the four corners of their community. Cox provides solutions not only today but for the future, as well."

In addition to the current Cox WiFi markets (Connecticut, Northern Virginia, Omaha, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Sun Valley), customers also have access when they travel to the nation's largest WiFi network of more than 300,000 hotspots made possible by a collaboration of cable companies across the country, called CableWiFi, launched in 2013. The hotspots are strategically located in high-traffic areas such as restaurants, malls, sports arenas, parks and beaches in cities like New York, Washington D.C., Boston, Richmond, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Tampa.

Accessing Cox WiFi is simple. When customers are in a Cox WiFi hotspot, they will see the Cox WiFi network location (SSID) in the list of available networks on their wireless device. Customers simply enter their Cox user ID and password to log in to CoxWiFi. Once authenticated, they will be able to browse the Internet as they would from home.

Cox customers who are looking for WiFi access can go to www.cox.com/hotspots and enter their current location to find nearby hotspots. Users can also click on a WiFi icon on the map or download the Cox Connect app for iPhone and Android devices and immediately access directions to or from the specific WiFi hotspot address. Once a user has logged into a Cox WiFi or CableWiFi hotspot, his or her wireless device will automatically recognize and logon to other Cox WiFi and CableWiFi hotspots for up to two years.  

For more information, visit the Cox WiFi homepage at www.cox.com/wifi.  

SOURCE Cox Communications