AT&T goes all in with 2Wire

It’s turning out to be a very merry Christmas season for 2Wire. Just a week after investing in the vendor, AT&T said today it has signed a $43 million, one-year contract with 2Wire to use its IP residential gateways as part of the carrier’s forthcoming U-verse residential triple-play service.

The gateway device will serve as the basis for a home network that offers IPTV, high-speed Internet access and, eventually, voice over IP service

The carrier, which already is using 2Wire gateway as part of a bundled home entertainment offering that blends DSL with satellite video service, will use 2Wire’s 3000 series gateways, connected via either fiber-to-the-premises or VDSL access networks.

“2Wire is a proven leader in the broadband gateway market and has now developed innovative IP gateways to help us deliver AT&T U-verse services to our customers,” Lea Ann Champion, senior executive vice president, in charge of operations for AT&T Project Lightspeed, said in prepared remarks. “The residential gateway plays a significant role in ensuring customers have access to IP-enabled services throughout the home and on various IP-enabled devices.”

The gateways support multimedia coax within the home and can distribute high-definition video, data or voice over existing home wiring. Additionally, the unit will include a wireless access point, remote management capabilities, and security features such as a firewall. For the video service, AT&T will continue using Motorola and Scientific-Atlanta set-top boxes.