Comcast Plans To Create 270 Jobs With Digital Phone Service

By Risa Polansky
Comcast will create at least 270 jobs as it launches digital telephone service in South Florida this year, executives say.

Implementing Comcast Digital Voice in Broward County this quarter and in Miami-Dade County by late summer will require a larger force of technicians and a growing customer base will create a need for more customer service employees, said Tom Autry, Comcast’s vice president and general manager for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

The company has begun filling some positions and will continue to add workers during the next nine months, Mr. Autry said. Company spokesmen declined to disclose salary ranges.

Mr. Autry said the company may hire more than the targeted 270. "As things scale up and we get a better understanding of what the business proposition will be, we’re optimistic that number will continue to grow."

Mr. Autry said 2006 was Comcast’s "best year since coming to South Florida" in November 2002.

The service has been successful elsewhere in the country. "It’s essentially a voice product that runs on an Internet protocol platform, and it runs on our network," Mr. Autry said. "It’s an advantage because we don’t have any issues you have over the public Internet. We’re managing traffic 24/7, and we control our own reliability."

Customers who add the service, which includes three-way calling, call waiting, caller ID and voicemail, will be able to keep their current phone numbers and can sign up for package of phone, video and Internet service.

"It’s one-stop shopping," Mr. Autry said, "all on one bill."

Julio Segovia, Comcast’s area director of engineering, said engineers are solidifying the South Florida network and enhancing the company’s power capabilities and backup power capacity to support the service.

Once available, a new Comcast customer would pay $99 monthly for the package and existing video and Internet customers would be able to add the voice service for $33 monthly.

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