O2 is to sell AT&T-branded smart home products and services in the UK from this summer as part of a broader plan to build an entire ecosystem for connected services within the home that are managed by smartphones, tablets and computers.
In an announcement made ahead of the International CES event in Las Vegas this week, the UK-based mobile operator said it is working with AT&T Digital Life and tado to ensure that the UK is the first market in Europe to offer the AT&T Digital Life home management and automation platform on a commercial basis.
The move comes after O2 parent company Telefonica became the first company to licence the AT&T Digital Life platform after carrying out a limited trial in Europe last year.
David Plumb, digital director at O2 UK, said the mobile operator's goal is to bring together the different players in the smart home sector, from platform and device manufacturers through to service providers.
"Across a range of sectors, we've already seen technology evolve from analogue to digital to smart. But when it comes to our homes, the experience is mostly stuck in analogue," Plumb said.
Plumb said the AT&T Digital Life platform "will integrate old and new devices around the home", while tado would provide "truly smart heating control".
"We are also keen to hear from others who want to join our ecosystem," he added.
Kevin Peterson, president of AT&T Digital Life, noted that the platform is designed to pull together various devices and capabilities to allow consumers "to see through the noise and manage the system through a single app."
OEMs such as tado will gradually be added to the system to enable consumers to control an increasing number of household services and appliances from their smart devices.
For more:
- see the O2 UK release
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