Comcast and Brinks Home Security Put Customers First with Latest Technologies
Philadelphia, PA.
Comcast Corporation, (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services, and Brink's Home Security®, Inc., have joined forces to make it easier for customers to install and enjoy the latest home phone and security technologies. For customers who have both Comcast Digital Voice phone service and Brink's Home Security service, the two companies plan to deliver a better overall experience – with more reliable alarm signal transmissions, faster installations, fewer service visits, and seamless customer service calls.
Comcast and Brink's Home Security expect to launch this program in up to eight markets by year-end, with plans to roll it out to all markets the companies have in common. The initial markets include: Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis and Jacksonville.
Comcast and Brink's have coordinated operations and cross-trained their technical and customer service teams in select markets to help ensure a smooth installation. Designated employees from both companies are well-versed in how the respective technologies interact.
"We are committed to providing Comcast Digital Voice customers with high-quality home phone service that works easily with the reliable home security services they expect," said Catherine Avgiris, SVP and GM, Comcast Voice Services. "We have been aggressively working to partner with industry-leading home security companies, such as Brink's Home Security, to offer Comcast Digital Voice customers a seamless installation experience, quality service, and knowledgeable technicians that can answer their questions."
"Brink's chose to work closely with Comcast because of the key advantages that cable phone offers, including the routing of calls over a managed network, instead of the public Internet," said Shawn Lucht, Vice President of Business Development, Brink's Home Security, Inc. "Additionally, Comcast shares our commitment to deliver top tier services and a positive customer experience."
The companies have begun to co-market their products to new and existing customers. Brink's is giving Comcast Digital Voice customers a special value offer, which includes a free security needs analysis, discounted installation, and a free second keypad installation. In addition, customers with a monitored home security system may be able to save up to 20 percent on their homeowner's insurance.
Comcast Digital Voice calls travel over Comcast's privately managed network, rather than the public Internet used by Internet voice services. Additionally, Comcast Digital Voice comes standard with battery back-up in the event of a brief loss of power in a customer's home, and it is installed by a professional technician. Currently 25% of Comcast Digital Voice customers are estimated to have home security systems.
Brink's Home Security is recognized for outstanding security system price, products, service and professional home security system installation quality by several independent organizations. With state-of-the-art technology, Brink's Home Security monitoring professionals are dedicated to providing rapid response and peace of mind 24 hours a day®.
The arrangement between the two industry leaders confirms the compatibility of cable Internet Protocol (IP) phone and home security services, and comes at a time when an increasing number of consumers are selecting cable phone service. By 2011, it is estimated that nearly 24 million Americans will purchase phone service from their cable companies, according to a new economic study conducted by Microeconomic Consulting and Research Associates (MiCRA), which further underscores the trend of massive cable phone adoption.
Comcast Digital Voice
Comcast Digital Voice is a fully featured digital-quality phone service which includes unlimited direct-dial local and domestic long-distance calling (including calls to Canada and Puerto Rico); competitive international rates; Web access to voicemail; online call management; E911 service; and 12 of the most popular calling features. Comcast Digital Voice quality and performance were recognized as one of the industry's best in a recent study by Keynote Systems, known as The Internet Performance Authority®, which tested the audio quality of 12 VoIP providers. Comcast Digital Voice stands out because calls originate and travel over Comcast's advanced, proprietary managed network, unlike best effort Internet voice services that run on the public Internet.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 23.3 million cable customers, 10 million high-speed Internet customers, and 1.6 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.
Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, Versus, G4, AZN Television, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One and four regional Comcast SportsNets. Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.
About Brink's Home Security, Inc.
Brink's Home Security, Inc. (www.brinkshomesecurity.com), headquartered in Irving, Texas, is one of the largest and fastest growing providers of security system monitoring services in North America. Brink's Home Security operates in more than 250 metropolitan areas, and services more than one million customers in 48 states and two provinces in Canada.