TDS Telecommunications is offering an upgraded radio-frequency remote control to its nearly 125,000 cable TV and IPTV subscribers, allowing them to hide their set-tops in a way that's not possible with standard infra-red, line-of-site remote controls.
The new gadgets are being sold to TDS TV subscribers for a one-time cost of $24.95 each.
Of course, the company's new radio-frequency remote technology doesn't necessarily count as a groundbreaking innovation. But the offering does represent a timely response by a smaller pay-TV operator to consumer demand for less junk on the living-room console.
"First we introduced wireless set-top boxes so customers could move their gear without worrying about a cable jack," said Julie Maiers, marketing director at TDS, in a statement. "RF remotes are really the next step in a totally customized entertainment experience."
The new remotes work only with TDS TV set-tops.
TDS reported 25,600 residential IPTV subscribers to end the first quarter, up about 10,000 in one year. With its acquisitions of Baja Broadband and BendBroadband, it also reported 109,700 cable TV customers.
For more:
- read this TDS Telecommunications press release
- read this Telecompaper story
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