Cable MSO, Cox Communications, says that it will launch caller-ID on the TV in Rhode Island on May 18th. The service--which debuted in Oklahoma City late last year (see [itvt] Issue 8.23 Part 2A)--will be offered at no additional charge to Cox customers who subscribe to both Cox Digital Telephone with Caller ID and Cox Digital Cable. Cox, which claims that it will be the only cable operator in Rhode Island to offer such a service, says that it will expand the service to additional markets later this year (note: when it announced the launch of the service in Oklahoma city, the company said that it would be available to 90% of its eligible customer base by the end of 2009). "Caller ID to the TV is an example of our commitment to the continued evolution and convergence of our communications platforms," Doreen Studley, Cox's VP of marketing, said in a prepared statement. "Our customers prefer to bundle voice, Internet and video services from one trusted provider. More importantly, they want these services to work together to enhance their lives."
Cox now offers a range of interactive services, accessed through the "menu" button on the remote control, including the ability to view email (for customers of the company's high-speed Internet service), call logs, local and national weather forecasts, news and sports headlines, games, children's content, movie theater listings, horoscopes and lottery results; as well as the ability to view and pay one's bill, order new services and access customer support. At the NCTA Cable Show in Washington, DC last month, Cox announced that it had selected NDS as the prime integrator for its tru2way platform, which is scheduled to launch this summer.
