Pat Esser
President, Cox Communications

It took a little while to decompress following the overwhelming spectacle of CES, but with the benefit of a couple of days of calm, here’s some reflection on the highlights and themes that resonated with me during and after last week’s show:

 For me CES began, surreally, in Barry Manilow’s green room at the Las Vegas Hilton Theater, site of the “Pipelines Power” session. The area is adorned with seemingly hundreds of photos of the star with other stars, which provided some light escapism and mood-calming before we were ushered onto the stage and into the spotlight before a large crowd wanting to hear how cable, telco and satellite execs view convergence. As I stated then, as service providers, we must deliver the benefits of convergence minus the “hassle factor” for our customers. Throughout the week, as I viewed thousands of gizmos, gadgets and random awe-inspiring products—most of which likely will never make it to market—I was even more convinced that while consumers may welcome “wow,” above all they just want it to work. It won’t matter how amazing these converged products are if they don’t interact properly.

 If there were doubts on anyone’s mind that we live in an increasingly connected world, they were effectively erased by the sights and sounds on display at CES. For Cable and other providers, the clear takeaway is that we have the opportunity and obligation to help facilitate this connection inside and outside the home, from Internet to TV and beyond. Our customers want us to figure it out, and we have to intently focus on doing so—again, with priority on the ultimate ease of use for our customers.

 I often get asked if I think content on the Internet will soon replace content on the TV. No, Internet-delivered content will not eclipse TV-delivered content, but one does enhance the other and consumers are thirsty for products and providers that seamlessly connect the two. Accordingly, I’m thankful for Cable’s strategic decision to invest in Advanced Wireless Spectrum (AWS), because wireless connectivity is going to be critical in facilitating these connections inside and outside the home.

 High-definition content and delivery are going to be critical to our business as we strive to meet our customers’ demands now and in the future. Video content is rapidly moving to hi-def, and the service providers that figure it out best will have the clear advantage.

 3D gaming is amazing, as I discovered for myself at CES. Being able to see the action in a particular game from your own point of view, while your opponent competes from his own angle, is a pretty awesome experience. And it’s definitely enhanced by the sound and other atmospherics that make it actually feel like you’re whizzing around a track in your own high-performance race car.

 As Cox and our Cable partners in the Sprint JV get set to launch wireless service as an important fourth piece of the full-service bundle, we must—and we will—bring a better product set to the market than exists today. After CES I’m more excited than ever about the opportunities the partnership will provide us to deliver our customers a wireless experience they just can’t get elsewhere.

 Speaking of wireless, perhaps you heard a little something about Apple introducing its iPhone last week at MacWorld? I have to admit I wasn’t personally excited about it, but the speed at which my children (and their friends) were willing to spend $500 of my money for one convinced me yet again that Apple is a master of marketing and merchandizing. And it was just one of the week's many reminders that seamlessly moving content around is going to be crucial for providers and customers.

While all of the innovations exhibited last week make it an exciting time to be a service provider, we must remember that all this buzz can make it a confusing and complicated time for consumers. So, we must get to work on the realities of making sense of it all on our customers’ behalf.