After announcing in December that it would license the X1 video platform from Comcast, Canada’s Rogers Communications said it will also market a white-label version of the American MSO’s home automation product, as well as various CPE components.
Speaking with investors during Rogers’ fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday, Alan Horn, chairman, interim president and CEO of the Canadian cable company, said Rogers would deploy its version of X1, as well as its iteration of Xfinity Home, in early 2018.
However, Rogers will also begin deploying Comcast CPE, including DOCSIS 3.1 gateways and Wi-Fi extenders, in mid-2017.
“Longer term on cable, we expect—once we get past the implementation phase and into 2018, we expect cable to continue to come down significantly and that’s going to be getting past the IP launch, but also a much better CPE profile as we tap into Comcast’s ecosystem on both the set-top-box configuration, but also on the modem and gateway side as well. So that piece of it will come in nicely,” Horn said, according to a Seeking Alpha transcript.
In December, Rogers announced plans to ditch an IPTV system it was developing and deploy a licensed version of X1, as Canadian peer Shaw Communications and American privately held cable company Cox Communications have also done.
Comcast, meanwhile, revealed at CES that it will license its home automation and security system in much the same way it farms out X1. It is also in talks with Cox and Charter Communications regarding this issue. These deals stem from Comcast’s purchase of Austin, Texas-based home automation vendor Icontrol, which counts Rogers, Charter and Cox as clients.
“Digital home is a full home networking solution, which will provide customers with a simple and intuitive way to control and manage their connected devices in the home,” Horn said. “And our adoption of the excellent platform not only includes access to a proven TV solution, but also to Comcast’s state-of-the-art customer premise equipment and roadmap, including reduced … set-top box configurations and advanced gateways. We expect to begin deploying these new gateways in mid 2017. They are capable of delivering up to 9 gigabits per second over Wi-Fi within the home and can also support voice solutions, home monitoring and automation applications.”