What is Better than Cox?
Cox Communications Internet service also known as Cox Internet is among the leading internet service providers in the United States being a cable ISP that serves over 18 states in the country. Though Cox offers customers fast internet connection that runs smoothly in many homes and offices, are there better options out there? In this article, I will be sharing some of the options that may be better than Cox for internet in your home or office.
Fiber Optic Internet
The best option that can be taken instead of cable internet such as the services offered by Cox is fiber optic internet. Fiber internet is a broadband connection that uses flexible glass or plastic fibers instead of the metal cables that have been used in copper internet. This makes for much faster speeds, less latency, and increased reliability when compared to other forms of connection.
Continued widespread fiber internet providers such as Verizon Fios, AT&T Fiber, and Google Fiber provide internet speeds of up to one Giga-per-second or higher. Compared to Cox’s cable internet, which averages a speed of 10-100 Mbps on packages that do not include Gigabast, that is 10-100x faster. Fiber is a future-oriented technology today, it can provide the best internet speed with which is possible, except for business connections.
However, it is still crucial to note that fiber internet is not yet available in many locations. Verizon Fios and Google Fiber no longer continue their expansion, while AT&T Fiber expands gradually to more metro areas. Fiber to the premise probably offers better speed than the coaxial cable service offered by Cox.
Fixed Wireless Internet
Fixed wireless internet is home internet accomplished through the transmission of signals from wireless towers in your locality to an antenna at your house. Rise Broadband, Viasat, HughesNet – primary mid-size wireless ISPs provide download speeds of 25-100+ Mbps in many areas, which are not covered by cable or fiber connections.
Latency can also be reasonably higher than wired connections but is constantly in the process of becoming better as networks increase capacity and new technologies enter the market. T-Mobile, Verizon, and other providers have fixed-wireless propositions with LTE and 5G home broadband that soon offer wirelessly delivered performance near that of fiber-optic connections.
The nature of fixed wireless internet is that it is most available in locations that are not easily accessible by cable and fiber due to tough terrains. For many rural users, it makes it possible to connect to the Internet with a fast connection, which was impossible before. In some cases, the ability of the fixed wireless to offer better, more dependable speed at distant locations surpasses that of the Cox cable.
Municipal Broadband Networks
It has become more and more common for towns and cities, which are not satisfied with the content of internet choices offered to them by MIPs, to develop their broadband networks. Municipal fiber optic services like Chattanooga’s EPB Fiber Optics, Utah’s UTOPIA fiber network, and well over 250 rural cooperatives deliver city-run fiber internet.
It should be noted that these municipal networks offer some of the fastest internet connection speeds across the country, In some cases, completely obviating the incumbent slow internet service providers. EPB’s GIGABIT fiber service is now available to homes and businesses over the public right-of-way. Some of the municipal networks are also capable of offering better value and customer service as locally controlled and owned community options rather than profit-oriented national ISPs.
The flip side is, that municipal internet is possible only if the local government has laid a large amount of money to directly compete with the ISPs by constructing a network. Only about 6% of the US people have the option to access city-run ISPs today. However, these numbers rise each year as more towns understand that superior, faster, cheaper, community-owned internet makes for economic and quality of life advantages.
Satellite Internet
Cable, fiber, or even fixed wireless cannot reach areas where satellite internet offers connection to the outside world. Companies such as Viasat, HughesNet, and Starlink transmit internet access signals through satellite systems in space and receive them at individual customer homes and businesses with small dishes.
Satellite was for a long time slow, costly, and characterized by high latency periods. However, with new satellites and technology advancements such as SpaceX’s Starlink, among others, satellite internet has drastically enhanced its performance.
Today satellite internet offers satisfactory connection to the rural users deprived of wired internet connection, offering speeds of 25-100+ Mbps. Latency and occasional disruptions are still present when there is bad weather, but low-earth-orbit satellites are significantly less latent than the satellites used in satellite internet technology.
In areas that are completely uncovered by terrestrial Internet providers, satellite is usually the only available modern option. It is still slower than fiber and wireless; however, SpaceX, OneWeb, and Amazon have all recently pledged to expand and improve the networks by several folds which might soon even rival other first-world networks in developed areas.
Startups and Disruptors
In addition to larger established players at the national level, more and more new entrants from the startup scene seem to target the home and office internet market. Wires like Starry, Ting, Sonic, and others build on existing structures innovatively and boast about the low customer satisfaction characteristic of the big players.
These disruptors primarily employ point-to-point wireless connections, fiber leasing, and advanced technologies such as millimeter wave WiFi that can deliver even better speeds and experiences than cable ISPs. Many are still largely focused on specific areas, but some are eager to grow across the country in the next few years to offer consumers something other than the meh experience of internet service.
A smaller emerging provider who is currently unknown can be a force to reckon with at some point. And support them if you think the market needs more competition and choice which can force the networks to offer faster speeds, lower prices, and improved service. The next great ISP may be some small company experimenting with making the internet different than such telecoms.
The Bottom Line
As for the Internet service of the residential and business segments, the competition persists to emerge to threaten the incumbency of the leading cable ISPs such as Cox Communications. While Cox is fulfilling the basic requirement of providing Internet connection to millions of Americans, technologies such as fiber optics and advanced wireless networks offer higher Internet speeds, less delay time, more dependability, and best of all, quality customer relations.
For more than just comparing all ISP offerings to your home or office, to find the best deal, and for more than searching for next-generation internet-powered municipalities, satellites, and startups to bring better than Cox speeds and service on modern infrastructure take a look at this. The options will only increase with time and technology, but it will continue to be an effective way to reach more and more people.
Ready to upgrade your internet experience? Call us now at +1 844-349-7575 to explore the best Cox Internet plans for your needs!