AT&T gets in the home monitoring space

Interesting news from AT&T Inc. today in that they are going to offer a remote home monitoring service ("AT&T Launches Remote Home Monitoring Video Service Nationwide," October 26 press release). For an upfront cost of $199 and $9.95 per month after that, subcribers can use personal computers and Cingular Wireless devices to remotely view the home and receive alerts (if a motion detector is triggered, for example).

Internationally, telcos have dabbled in such offerings (Canada's TELUS with its HomeSitter and SK Telecom, in particular), but this is new territory for the U.S. telcos. Our own research (most recently, "The Business of Bundled Services") indicates that the telcos could expect solid take rates and revenue-per-user with these services. Beyond voice, video, and data services, these types of peace-of-mind features could be key in helping differentiate one provider from another.