AT&T to Make Dog Collars?
At this years CTIA in Las Vegas AT&T made a rather striking announcement when they said they plan on expanding into smaller devices such as dog collars. Yes, you read that right dog collars. AT&T will create a wireless dog collar that will allow pet owners to reconnect with their lost animals(s).
The device will actually be made by Apisphere. The device will sends a text message or email to the pet’s owner if the animal strays outside a predefined area. The device also has continuous tracking so owners can find their lost pet from a computer. It doesn’t stop there, Apisphere plans on making other small devices to help in our day-to-day lives.
Other devices include a pill box that wirelessly reminds people to take their medicine, a device that keeps track of product pallets for shipping companies and an entertainment system for car passengers.
“We see opportunities in dogs, in pallets, in cars and how you take your pills,” said Ralph de la Vega, head of AT&T’s mobile business.
The new devices will run on AT&T’s data network and is forcasted to bring in about $1 billion in annual services revenue over five years. AT&T has been planning to upgrade its 3G network, using an interim technology called HSPA-plus, before moving ahead with its 4G plans.
There are no release dates for these new devices, but AT&T plans on making an announcement later this year.
