AT&T expands U-verse, Homezone

AT&T advanced its video initiatives on two fronts, launching its U-verse IPTV service in Dallas-Fort Worth and adding new functions to Homezone, its integrated voice-data-satellite TV bundle.

For the first time, AT&T Homezone customers will be able to program their digital video recorder function within their receiver using any cell phone that is WAP 2.0-enabled. In addition, AT&T is adding content from aggregator Akimbo, including user-created content, to its Homezone service.

“We’ve had Web remote access for programming receivers, but this wireless deployment is new,” said Ken Tysell, executive director of entertainment services for AT&T. “It is not specific to Cingular phones--any WAP 2.0-enabled wireless device is able to browse the program guide and make selections.”

Based on focus-group research, AT&T expects the remote access option to be popular, he added.

Since acquiring BellSouth and gaining full control over Cingular, AT&T has been exploring ways to integrate the wireless service with its home data and TV networks beyond just offering a single bill. Earlier this year, AT&T began the process of phasing out the Cingular name to create a single brand for broadband, video and wireless, but so far it has kept wireless services separate from the wireline ones. That’s expected to change later this year, after the rebranding is complete and AT&T launches new mobile TV programming features with Qualcomm’s MediaFLO.

The carrier, however, is in a race with other broadband and wireless competitors pursuing the same integration. Verizon Wireless launched a similar service with TiVo almost a year ago. And the cable companies are finally starting to produce results from the MVNO partnership with Sprint. Comcast launched its first dual-branded wireless service in December in Boston and Portland, Ore. And in February, Time Warner Cable rolled out its first quadruple-play service, not only offering a single bill and voice services but integrating Sprint TV programming with its bundle and allowing customers to view their local cable programming guides on the phone. Time Warner originally launched in Austin, Texas and Raleigh, N.C., but it has been slowly expanding the service, adding Cincinnati to its footprint this week.

AT&T isn’t releasing sales numbers for Homezone, which integrates AT&T Yahoo! DSL service with DISH Networks digital video in the home, but Tysell said market acceptance has been “very good.” Homezone is available in areas where U-verse, the IPTV service offering over a fiber-to-the-node network, is not available.

The Akimbo content adds about 6000 new titles to AT&T Homezone’s on-demand offering, Tysell said, including shorter programming and “long-tail” or niche offerings that include user-generated videos.

“We think this is a nice complement to the feature film content we offer through MovieLink, which consists of 1000 titles,” he said. “Akimbo has more half-hour and hour-long content which is free or priced at 99 cents or $1.99.”

AT&T is still working through technical back-end issues to enable consumers who were already buying DISH through SBC to now get AT&T Homezone, but expects to have that solution later this year, Tysell said. It make take longer to work through the issues that will enable Homezone to be deployed in BellSouth territory, since BellSouth’s satellite marketing partner is DirecTV, but AT&T is “working on that,” he added.

AT&T is trumpeting U-verse’s availability in Dallas-Fort Worth by offering two free months of TV service and a 60-day money-back guarantee. U-verse is now available in 14 markets in five states.