Cox might make its gamble pay off if it learns from earlier mistakes by cable operators, such as Comcast, trying to bundle mobile services, analysts said.

Pricing and packaging, as well as cultural differences between mobile and cable companies, doomed earlier efforts, said Yankee Group analyst Philip Marshall. According to independent telecommunications analyst Jeff Kagan, the cable companies thought their subscribers would sign up for bundled mobile without aggressive advertising. Both said the mobile offering has to have its own reason for people to buy, apart from just being bundled with TV and broadband.

Tighter control might help Cox achieve that, Marshall said, by making it easier for the company to quickly roll out new services. But he warned those futuristic ideas may not pay off anyway.

"The solutions you think will be adopted in the market generally are not," Marshall said.

Kagan warned the cable operators ultimately will need mobile offerings to compete with telecommunications carriers -- such as Verizon Communications and AT&T -- that are already established in both broadband and wireless and are now going after TV. But Marshall said it will be an uphill battle.

"It's a massive investment, and it's always difficult at this stage in the market to try to go in with a mobile play," Marshall said. "It's a mature market."