ATLANTA, Jan 7, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cox Communications, Inc. announced today that it has begun transitioning Cox@Home Internet customers to the company's new self-managed network, a move designed to ensure enhanced performance, long-term service stability and superior customer service.

This network will support the company's new Cox High Speed Internet(SM) service, as well as broadband telecommunications solutions offered to commercial customers through Cox Business Services.

In December 2001, Cox successfully transitioned its first residential customers to the new Cox High Speed Internet service in Roanoke, Va. and plans to transition the remainder of its Cox@Home high-speed Internet customers by the end of this month. Within the next two weeks, Cox@Home customers nationwide will receive conversion kits that contain all of the information and resources necessary to transition to Cox High Speed Internet.

"I was wonderfully surprised at how quick and easy it was to set up my new service. The conversion kit walked me through the setup process and I got my service up and running without a hitch," said Art Dickens, a Cox High Speed Internet customer in Roanoke. "In fact, my email seems even faster than it was before."

Cox expects to spend approximately $150 million to build its new network and is devoting all of the resources necessary to ensure the success of its high-speed Internet service. The new service offers the same speed and popular features that customers currently enjoy with their Cox@Home service, as well as new features such as enhanced local content and remote, web-based email access. Cox's commercial customers' conversion to the new network will be mostly transparent with little to no changes in their existing service.

The network itself includes three main Service Data Centers, located in Atlanta, Oklahoma City, and San Diego. These Service Data Centers house Cox's servers where customers' email, news and web pages will be stored, and support 11 Regional Data Centers located throughout the country. The Regional Data Centers provide diverse routing to the public Internet.

"The rise in consumer demand for broadband services, coupled with our own experience in the delivery of such services shows that building our own infrastructure will provide Cox with a greater long-term return on investment," said Scott Hatfield, Chief Information Officer. "By creating our own network and managing it ourselves, we are in a better position to control the quality of and evolve our broadband services to meet the changing needs of our customers."

The new Internet service is being deployed rapidly in response to the bankruptcy proceedings of Excite@Home, a vendor that partnered with Cox in the delivery of high speed Internet service. Excite@Home provided service in the majority of Cox's markets across the country.

Acerca de Cox Communications

Cox Communications, Inc., (NYSE: COX) a Fortune 500 company, serves approximately 6.2 million customers nationwide, making it the nation's fifth largest cable television company. A full-service provider of telecommunications products, Cox offers an array of services, including Cox Cable; local and long distance telephone services under the Cox Digital Telephone brand; high-speed Internet access under the brands Cox High Speed Internet, Cox@Home, Road Runner and Cox Express; advanced digital video programming services under the Cox Digital Cable brand; and commercial voice and data services via Cox Business Services. Cox is an investor in programming networks including Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel. More information about Cox Communications can be accessed on the Internet at www.cox.com/espanol.

CONTACT: Cox Communications, Inc. Susan Leepson, 404/269-8260