Summary Box: AT&T barges into security, automation
NEW OFFERING: AT&T Inc. will start selling home automation and security services nationwide. The installations and services will be sold in AT&T stores.
COMPETITORS: AT&T is taking on incumbents led by Tyco International Ltd.'s ADT. Comcast Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc. also have ventured into the home automation and security field.
BIG MONEY: Steven Winoker, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein, says there's plenty of room to grow, and it's very profitable. But it's not big enough to significantly affect the earnings of a company of AT&T's size, given that it's a relatively small market.
