Photos: AT&T's Digital Housewarming
11:10 AM -- NEW ORLEANS -- International CTIA Wireless -- AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)'s connected home showcase in New Orleans made its Mobile World Congress demo look more like the connected trailer park.
A beautiful, historic Garden District mansion provided the backdrop for the carrier to show off Digital Life, its security and automation initiative announced Monday at the show. Click on the image below to see a short slideshow of the home tour. (See AT&T's Home Security Service to Go BYOB.)
AT&T hinted that it wanted a larger part in the connected home back in February when it announced a white label service for international companies. But this iteration of Digital Life puts the carrier front and center, pitting it against big names in security, including ADT, and potentially even some of its own machine-to-machine (M2M) customers, as well as the cable operators that are exploring the space. (See Will Service Providers Steal ADT's Customers?.)
AT&T executives and spokespeople were coy about the details of Digital Life, including its launch strategy, which devices would be compatible and, the biggest question, what the business model will be.
It's going to be tough for the likes of AT&T to determine the cost and potential business benefit of connecting every powered item within a home. My hope is that AT&T will exploit its advantage of being a triple-play service provider and come up with creative bundles, multiple-device ownership discounts and other incentives.
Otherwise, the connected home will remain a luxury that only those with domiciles like AT&T's demo mansion will be able to afford.
— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile
A beautiful, historic Garden District mansion provided the backdrop for the carrier to show off Digital Life, its security and automation initiative announced Monday at the show. Click on the image below to see a short slideshow of the home tour. (See AT&T's Home Security Service to Go BYOB.)
AT&T hinted that it wanted a larger part in the connected home back in February when it announced a white label service for international companies. But this iteration of Digital Life puts the carrier front and center, pitting it against big names in security, including ADT, and potentially even some of its own machine-to-machine (M2M) customers, as well as the cable operators that are exploring the space. (See Will Service Providers Steal ADT's Customers?.)
AT&T executives and spokespeople were coy about the details of Digital Life, including its launch strategy, which devices would be compatible and, the biggest question, what the business model will be.
It's going to be tough for the likes of AT&T to determine the cost and potential business benefit of connecting every powered item within a home. My hope is that AT&T will exploit its advantage of being a triple-play service provider and come up with creative bundles, multiple-device ownership discounts and other incentives.
Otherwise, the connected home will remain a luxury that only those with domiciles like AT&T's demo mansion will be able to afford.
— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile
