AT&T U-verse and the Future

With over 3.8 million customers as of the end of 2011, AT&T U-verse is one of the most popular HD TV, smartphone, and internet providers in the country. For this giant to grow its business in the next several years will take some substantial changes as well as technological gains and new discoveries to keep its place at the top end of the broadband market. New products and innovative features that target the smartphone and iPad market niche will also have to be developed beyond the basic offerings that are now available to some customers to ensure future growth.

Work is constantly being done to improve the infrastructure of the company. A large percentage of customers have the product delivered via copper phone lines from the central office, which can span over 3,000 feet. This will be greatly improved in the future to increase bandwidth and speed up service for customers. AT&T U-verse is already competing with Verizon FiOS and bundling services is a key component for making it very easy for the consumer, especially when quality HDTV is being delivered. And AT&T U-verse are reaching the increased speeds for downloads and internet service.

But as everyone who has an information technology background that spans more than 20 years will tell you, people used to get excited in the 1990's when they got a 28.8k modem. Speeds will continue to get faster, and the question is if there is enough infrastructure to ensure that a majority of people will benefit from it.

AT&T U-verse will also need to expand its menu of features to stay ahead of the pack in the coming years. One of the most innovative features introduced recently is U-verse Mobile, which was made available on Windows 7 phones as well as X-Box 360 when first introduced in the fall of 2010. Current subscribers can take advantage of this service for free, while non-subscribers will have to pay around $10 a month to get their mobile TV fix.

Today it is available with most smartphones and iPads and now it can be used to manage your DVR schedule and recordings, browse the TV guide, and watch from a library of movies and TV shows no matter where you are. If you own an iPad, you can link it with your TV and use it as a remote. You may also get information and photos about your favorite TV shows while you watch them. If you are the owner of an X-Box 360, you may use it as a U-verse receiver if you are already a subscriber to the network. As the capabilities of smartphones and iPads expands, expect more offerings in this market niche as the world becomes more and more mobile, and demand for anytime - anywhere mobile video and TV continues to expand.

The future holds some stiff challenges for not only AT&T U-verse, but all companies looking to compete in a dynamic global economy. To keep up, more innovation and research will be needed to deliver a better and expanding product to consumers.

Visit AT&T U-verse