IBM and Bell Atlantic Team Up to Deliver Home Networking
Solutions
IBM® and Bell Atlantic
Construction Services,
Inc. (BACCSI), a
subsidiary of Bell
Atlantic, today
announced
that they
have joined
forces to deliver IBM
Home Director
home
networking
systems to
homeowners
throughout the
northeastern
United States.
Now consumers
throughout the
Bell Atlantic
operating area
will have access
to some of the
most advanced
home networking
technology --
including
in-home PC
networking --
from two names
they can trust.
By combining
their respective
expertise in
home-networking
technology and
knowledge of the
home
marketplace, IBM
and BACCSI are
working to
transform the
way homeowners,
builders and
developers
implement and
access advanced
telecommunicatio
ns
infrastructure
systems. Soon
consumers will
be moving into
new homes wired
with some of the
most advanced
home networking
technology
available.
"Working
together with
BACCSI, IBM is
expanding its
reach in
delivering
technology
solutions that
match consumers'
lifestyles and
needs,'' said
Mike Braun,
general manager,
IBM Consumer
Division. "With
nearly 3000
service trucks
on the road,
BACCSI has an
outstanding
field support
organization
that we are
proud to team
with to install
our Home
Director System.
Homeowners can
rely on
receiving the
best in home
networking
technology as
well as superior
services and
support for
years to come.''
"This agreement
further
positions BACCSI
as the nation's
largest premises
infrastructure
provider,'' said
Robert Burich,
president of
Bell Atlantic
Communications
and Construction
Services, Inc.
"Our agreement
with IBM
supports Bell
Atlantic's broad
product
offerings and
solutions in the
fast-growing and
increasingly
competitive
residential
communications
marketplace.''
The addition of
BACCSI to IBM's
nationwide
family of
Authorized Home
Systems
Integrators
reinforces the
importance that
home networking
is beginning to
play in people's
lives. Recent
developments in
technology, such
as the rapid
expansion of the
Internet,
growing numbers
of intelligent
devices and new
transmission
methods like
ADSL make the
delivery of home
networking
solutions a
natural fit for
BACCSI. As a
result, homes
equipped by
BACCSI and IBM
will be able to
network their
PCs, distribute
the signal from
a single VCR or
DVD player to
any TV, share an
Internet signal
and be equipped
to take
advantage of
future home
networking
advances and
devices.
BACCSI has
established
itself as a
leader in
working to
change the
residential
communications
infrastructure
market from
simply
delivering basic
telephone
service to
bringing a wide
array of
broadband and
networking
capabilities
into the home.
IBM Home
Director is
rapidly becoming
a standard
feature in new
homes across the
United States
and Canada. By
working
together, IBM
and BACCSI are
able to leverage
each others
strengths to
deliver home
networking
capabilities
that ultimately
benefit
homeowners.
The foundation
for the IBM Home
Director System
is the Home
Network
Connection
Center, the
in-home hub for
a complete
structured
wiring network
solution. The
Connection
Center brings
together the
various wiring
types in the
home including
coaxial,
category 5, and
telephone -- and
allows data to
flow across the
network. As the
center-piece of
the current
agreement, IBM
will supply
co-branded Home
Network
Connection
Centers to
BACCSI, thus
enabling future
network
applications and
helping protect
homes from
technology
obsolescence.
To help deliver
even greater
value in home
networking
systems IBM
recently
introduced the
first of what is
planned to be a
series of
applications
which take
advantage of the
infrastructure
that IBM and
BACCSI are
delivering.
Presently this
includes the IBM
Home Network
Controller, an
integrated home
management
application. IBM
has plans to add
other
applications
that run on a
home networking
infrastructure
in the future
which will be
distributed
through a
variety of
channels
including the
IBM Authorized
Home Systems
Integrator
program.
The agreement
between IBM and
BACCSI is
effective
immediately,
covering
activity
throughout the
Bell Atlantic
region from
Maine to
Virginia and has
the potential to
expand further
into other
markets where
BACCSI has a
presence. In
addition, IBM
and BACCSI will
work together on
market
development,
advertising and
research, as
well as sales
and technical
support.
For more
information on
IBM Home
Director, IBM's
home networking
products, or the
location of the
nearest IBM
Authorized Home
Systems
Integrator,
visit the IBM
Home Director
Web site at
www.ibm.com/home
director or call
1-800-426-7144.
For more
information on
the BACCSI
representative
nearest you
please call
1-888-947-3782.
Bell Atlantic is
at the forefront
of the new
communications
and information
industry. With
more than 42
million
telephone access
lines and more
than eight
million wireless
customers
worldwide, Bell
Atlantic
companies are
premier
providers of
advanced
wireline voice
and data
services, market
leaders in
wireless
services and the
world's largest
publishers of
directory
information.
Bell Atlantic
companies are
also among the
world's largest
investors in
high-growth
global
communications
markets, with
operations and
investments in
23 countries. |
