O2 has launched a subscription smart home service, making it the first mobile operator in the UK to get into a potentially lucrative market.
The service launched with three customisable packages that will allow users to connect smart technology in their homes with O2’s Smart Hub and mobile app.
This will include security sensors that send alerts when doors or windows are opened, as well as smart plugs that can turn equipment off and on remotely. This includes a smart thermostat which uses the location services on the customer’s smartphone to automatically heat the house as they return home.
O2 will take care of the installation of the technology.
The service will be free for the first 12 months for users who sign up before 14 September. Contracts start from £20 per month to spread the upfront cost over a period of years.
O2 announced in January that it would be working with AT&T Digital Life and tado° to launch the smart home proposition in the UK, after previously working together on a US tie-up.
The move makes the UK the first market in Europe to offer the AT&T1 Digital Life home management and automation platform commercially.
O2 announced the news alongside the results of a survey, which found that 61 percent of people in the UK lack the confidence to install and run smart home technology.
Nina Bibby, Marketing and Consumer Director at O2, said: “Keeping your home up to date with technology shouldn’t be complicated – so we’ve brought together connectivity and smart technology in a simple package to give customers peace of mind wherever they are. We’ve made everything simple – with installation experts to help set things up and an app to monitor and control your home 24 hours a day.
“It’s smart technology for everyone, not just the tech-savvy.”