dslreports logo
 story category
AT&T Launches Homezone
In San Antonio and Parts of Ohio

AT&T yesterday began marketing their Homezone service, which features this 2wire media portal that integrates satellite TV and DSL connectivity. The service is a stop-gap service aimed at filling the gaps where the company has yet to (or is unwilling to) deploy 6Mbps VDSL and IPTV - aka "Project Lightspeed and U-Verse". Bundled packages will cost around $80-$140 per month, versus the $70-$120 per month for the U-Verse IPTV bundle, according to an AT&T spokesman.

"After Lightspeed is fully deployed and U-verse is fully deployed, there will be areas that are just not economic to offer fiber everywhere," recently stated AT&T's Homezone managing director Ken Tysell. "Homezone gives us a great product to make available to residential customers in all of the other areas, too. So we are going to coordinate the offer strategy and the rollout strategy between the two."

The service had previously been trialed by some 230 users, mostly AT&T employees. Coming in high-definition (eventually) and standard-definition versions, the boxes will offer users media sharing, on-demand content (see our Akimbo report), remote DVR programming, and possibly place-shifting Slingbox functionality - if the legal issues can be worked out.

AT&T however won't allow users to browse to just any content with the box on their televisions, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report:
"While the Homezone set top-box will be connected to the Internet, users won't be able to surf to any Web Site. They will only be able to download content from providers who have made deals with AT&T. In that sense, the service will be like the so-called "walled garden" that America Online tried to create with its Internet service in the 1990s before it was pressured to give its customers access to the open Internet."
Homezone is launching this week in San Antonio and across a wide chunk of Ohio; the remainder of AT&T's 13 state footprint should see the service by year's end. Keep your eye peeled in our AT&T forums for use impressions of the new service.
view:
topics flat nest 

Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus
join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY

Transmaster

Member

things will never change

remember AT&T Home. It didn't have all of these services but the idea was the same. Stop-gap indeed, read ever lasting stop-gap.

rachelsfx
join:2004-09-27
Pensacola, FL

rachelsfx

Member

Re: things will never change

It seems Project Lightspeed isn't speedy enough without another piece of junk in your home. LOL!
alexintexas
join:2003-01-11
San Antonio, TX
Netgear CM500
TP-Link Archer C7
Obihai OBi200

alexintexas

Member

Re: things will never change

like the poster stated above it will be a stop gap measure for the 100's of thousands that "will not" qualify for U-verse. in turn this is no competition basing a sat box, dsl modem into one box. if you ask me this is a sign to just how many people will actually be able to get the U-verse offerings. = not many

sad if you ask me. we shall wait and see.
firewire9999
join:2004-07-11
Livonia, MI

firewire9999 to Transmaster

Member

to Transmaster
Hmmm "ever lasting stop-gap" is that a new willie wonka candy?
Indymike8
join:2004-12-06
Indianapolis, IN

Indymike8

Member

Walled Garden?

So, is this "walled garden" just for the video portion, or is it the whole "internet"?

So here we go with the 'balkanization" of the internet.
jimbo21503
join:2004-05-10
Euclid, OH

jimbo21503

Member

Here too

They came to my door a few weeks ago trying to sell us on sat-TV. No thanks. If my area will not get upgrades when the speeds around me are increasing... bye-bye ATT! Maybe next year when my contract runs out and the local cable co is offering 100mb speeds, it will be time to switch back.

RadioDoc

join:2000-05-11
La Grange, IL

1 edit

RadioDoc

Isn't this basically VoD in a different dress?

"They will only be able to download content from providers who have made deals with AT&T."

How is that any different than what is available via any cable system's video on demand offering? You'll only see content there "from providers who have made deals with" the VoD operator. It's not like you can type in any movie title and have it magically appear on your TV.

This is competition to VoD, not web surfing. The AOL comparison is absurd.
Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Canonsburg, PA

Sammer

Member

Re: Isn't this basically VoD in a different dress?

The headline should read, AT&T admits redlining fiber!

RadioDoc

join:2000-05-11
La Grange, IL

RadioDoc

Re: Isn't this basically VoD in a different dress?

???
You reading the same page as the rest of us?
madrileno1238
Premium Member
join:2000-07-24
Los Angeles, CA

madrileno1238

Premium Member

Are customers prohibited from connecting their computers so . .

that they can use their browser(s) to travel to all sites on the Internet?

Regards
madrileno1238

madrileno1238

Premium Member

Re: Are customers prohibited from connecting their computers so

According to at&t, one requirement for Homezone is subscribing to AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet.

Information re: AT&T Yahoo HS Internet can be found at:

»www.sbc.com/gen/general?pid=7301

Personally, if taking the at&t Yahoo service, I would try to avoid downloading the Yahoo software (as I did when installing Verizon DSL service). Not sure if one can do this with at&t-Yahoo, however.

In any case, nothing I've read about the AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet leads me to believe that this service restricts one's access to the Internet--YET.

RadioDoc

join:2000-05-11
La Grange, IL

RadioDoc

Re: Are customers prohibited from connecting their computers so

It's not restricted, and you don't have to download & install anything.

jgkolt
Premium Member
join:2004-02-21
Avon, OH

jgkolt

Premium Member

cleveland

Where in Ohio are they planning on deploying this technology?
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

a decent idea

Its a good idea IMO, it gives the digital cable experiance to satellite users and its good for satellite. Now,

A. Why isnt this aviable on ANY DSL/Cable modem line; ATT used to be/is a CLEC everywhere? (oh yeah, RBOCs dont compete)

B.If you have satellite because you dont have cable at your home (rural/etc), you sure as hell wont have ATT DSL (loop length/pairgains/load coils/aincient RTs).

C. ATT doesnt invest in DSL-ifying its territory beyond what it is now (1990s/early2000s deployment) except for greenfield developments (urban and most suburban, and rural if within town core/near CO).