Comcast Acquires Icontrol and Announces Plans for Center of Excellence in Texas

Recently, Comcast announced that it has completed its acquisition of Icontrol Networks Inc., specifically the Icontrol Converge business that creates Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and next-generation platforms for connected home security. The Converge platform already powers Xfinity Home, and a recent Comcast blog post said that the company is thrilled to have the new team as part of the Comcast organization.

The post outlined a few key reasons why the company sees this as exciting news for its business and customers.

First, it gives Comcast full control over its research and development roadmap. By owning the part of Icontrol that brings the company’s existent core home security technology platform to life, it can invest more strategically for the future and accelerate the pace of innovation for Xfinity Home, particularly in the area of connected home security.

Second, this acquisition gives the company the ability to establish an “IoT Center of Excellence” in Austin, Texas, where Icontrol is based. This will be a key hub where engineers and developers will design innovations to support various IoT businesses. Those engineers will work closely with other teams in Philadelphia, Silicon Valley, and other locations across the country, to create great customer experiences that leverage the Comcast suite of products and services.

Finally, this will open up a new wholesale line of business for Xfinity Home, which will continue to provide the underlying platform that powers home security and automation services to a number of leading MSOs Icontrol was already serving around the world, including in Australia, Canada, and Japan, in addition to offering wholesale services to new customers, either domestic or international.

The company promises that there are more announcements coming that will define how this acquisition will allow Comcast to create many new and better offerings moving forward.