CRANSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS TAP COX FOR TELEPHONE SERVICE

Cranston, RI - Cox Business Services, a commercial affiliate of Cox Communications, has won a contract estimated at $600,000 over five years to provide telephone service to Cranston Public Schools.

As part of the massive conversion, Cox Business Services personnel recently completed the installation of 468 phones lines and 434 Centrex telephone sets. Two hundred school department employees in 28 locations were trained as part of the transition to the new phone system and in time for the start of the new school year.

Catherine M. Ciarlo, Cranston Public Schools Superintendent, said, “I am extremely pleased with the smoothness of the conversion of our phone service to Cox Business Services. Cox has a cache of highly competent professionals who have been extremely helpful to all Cranston Public School staff. I am delighted that we have chosen Cox.”

Mark Scott, vice president and general manager of Cox Business Services, said, “School budgets are among the most stretched these days so we are particularly delighted to bring the Cranston Public Schools telecommunications solutions that are both economical and reliable.”

The Cox service allows schools and administrative buildings to communicate between other Centrex departments using four digit extensions rather than seven digit numbers. Besides efficiency, the four digit extensions allow the schools to avoid outside, per minute call charges.

The Rhode Island-based design firm of Meier & Loftus was among the team assisting with the Cranston Public Schools’ telecommunications transition.

“The school department was faced with increasing demand for services and escalating costs,” says Hugh Meier, principal design engineer and president of the consulting firm Meier & Loftus. “Moving to the Centrex platform allowed us to add capacity, remove the network bottlenecks, and improve E-911 reporting, all while reducing costs. Its one of those rare win-wins for everybody involved.”

Cox Business Services, LLC is an affiliate of Atlanta-based Cox Communications, Inc., a Fortune 500 company and the nation’s fifth largest cable broadband communications company. A full-service, facilities-based provider of telecommunications solutions, Cox Business Services serves home offices; small, medium and large-sized businesses; school districts; and hospitality, government and military properties in cities across the nation. Cox offers high-speed Internet services; switched voice services and long-distance; and dedicated voice, data and video transport services. More information about Cox can be accessed on the Internet at www.cox.com.