AT&T says it will start selling home automation and security services nationwide, taking on incumbents led by Tyco's ADT.
The installations and services will be sold in AT&T stores, starting with a trial this summer in Dallas and Atlanta.
Several of AT&T's competitors, including cable company Comcast Corp. and phone company Verizon Communications Inc., have ventured into the home automation and security field. AT&T is showing more ambition, with its stated goal of selling nationwide, rather than sticking to its landline service territory.
Sanford Bernstein analyst Steven Winoker says home security and automation can be a very profitable business, but the market is not big enough to significantly affect earnings for a company of AT&T's size.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
