AT&T enhances its home automation game with Xanboo acquisition

AT&T (NYSE: T) is the latest service provider to move in the potentially lucrative home services market by acquiring home automation platform developer Xanboo.

Although AT&T has provided little details about what it will do with Xanboo's assets, it's likely it will integrate its technology to offer a suite of home services to its wireless and wireline customer base.

"Xanboo's monitoring services are a natural extension of our high speed Internet, video and voice offerings and a good fit for our wireless services," an AT&T spokesperson told CE Pro.

With the Xanboo technology in place, an end-user could remotely monitor and manage their home's security, lighting and air conditioning systems, for example, via a standard Internet connection or a smart phone.

Xanboo and AT&T aren't exactly strangers. In 2006, AT&T offered Xanboo's home services to Cingular customers for $199 a month. However, the home services program was shut down not long after it debuted.   

News of AT&T's acquisition illustrates a new consolidation trend of the home automation industry.

Other notable acquisitions in this space include moves by both Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and home service-centric vendors iControl and uControl.

Motorola last week bought out home automation vendor 4Home, a move that will enable the vendor to extend various home services such as energy management and security to its cable industry constituency, while iControl and uControl signed a merger agreement in November.

For more:
- CE Pro has this article

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