Wireless Firms Eye 'Smart Grids'
Cellphone Carriers Cut Prices in Aggressive Push for Deals With Utilities
Wireless carriers such as AT&T Corp. are setting their sights on so-called smart grids as a big business opportunity that could juice up earnings by utilizing excess capacity on their cellphone networks.
The upshot for consumers is they may eventually be able to monitor and control home-energy use through a cellphone that talks to a digital meter and other devices, though that service is still in development.
AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile unit, Verizon Wireless (a unit of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group) and other carriers are making an aggressive push to provide the wireless communications link to millions ...