Murray Hill, N.J. – Lucent Technologies today announced three new agreements valued at more than $22 million to provide advanced residential communications networks that support voice, video and data technologies throughout the home.

"These communities represent a growing trend that is occurring in the home building industry," said Jacqueline Totten, sales director for Lucent’s HomeStar Wiring System. "Builders are beginning to install advanced communication networks that will attract a new generation of homeowners demanding high-tech services."

Residents in the three new communities soon will be able surf the Internet at the fastest speeds available in the home, chat with neighbors over an "electronic fence" using the community intranet, even see who is at the front door simply by changing the channel on the television set or picking up the telephone.

Summerlin, a development of The Howard Hughes Corporation; Power Ranch, a DMB and Sunbelt Holdings property; and Sunset Lakes, developed by Atlantic Gulf Communities, represent a growing number of communities focused on providing residents with complete access to new and emerging technologies. Lucent previously announced an agreement to provide its HomeStar Wiring System to new homeowners at DC Ranch, another DMB property in Arizona.

"The Lucent agreement assures that Summerlin residents will move into the next century positioned as technology leaders and trendsetters," said Stew Gibbons, senior vice president of The Howard Hughes Corporation’s Summerlin division. "As a master developer, we are pleased to embrace technological solutions that take real estate development to higher levels."

TECHNOLOGY MOVES CLOSER TO THE HOME

"There is no question that technology is changing the way people live, impacting virtually every aspect of their work, family and social lives. But the proliferation of things such as PCs, Internet use, digital communications and advanced environmental control and security systems is posing new challenges for architects and builders," said Kent W. Colton, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Home Builders. "Not only must they design homes capable of accommodating today’s advanced systems, they must also recognize that emerging technologies, some unforeseen, will likely place new demands on the home infrastructure in as few as two to three years."

Analysts forecast consumer sales of various home technology systems and products will explode from $2 billion this year to $27 billion by 2005. According to Totten, wiring systems for home computers and entertainment networks are helping to drive that market explosion and are among the many options available to homeowners today.

The communities are building new homes with a technology foundation based on advanced communication wiring capable of supporting voice, video and data technologies throughout the home. These systems, like Lucent’s HomeStar, allow homeowners to integrate the control and management of communication systems (phone, fax and e-mail), entertainment systems (whole-house stereo, VCR, cable, digital and satellite television), home office equipment, video surveillance systems and environmental management/HVAC systems.

Homes in each community will be designed with the ability to support current and emerging in-home networking applications such as: work-at-home, distance learning, interactive entertainment and learning systems, electronic shopping and banking, child monitoring, security alert, home health monitoring and much more.

"Demand for technology in homes today is staggering. You need only look at the number of people using the Internet today compared to just a few years ago to see that consumer’s needs are rapidly changing," said Drew Brown, president of DMB. "You simply can’t build a home today with traditional phone jacks, cable ports and electrical systems and think that home will adequately serve the needs of its owners in the coming years. In just a few short years, the home will simply be outdated and won’t hold its value."

Brown’s development company is one of the leaders in high-tech home construction in the U.S. In addition to Power Ranch, DMB is currently developing DC Ranch, an 8,000-acre master planned community in Scottsdale. DC Ranch is the country’s first completely connected community, integrating miles of fiber optic cable laid throughout the community and connected to the homes, each of which is built with the HomeStar system in mind. With the technological backbone in place, residents have access to a wide range of convenience-oriented services unavailable in virtually any traditional community.

"The community’s wiring infrastructure allows for everything from digital cable television service to high-speed on-line access to our community-wide intranet, as well as connection to neighborhood schools, medical facilities and other businesses. It truly has an impact on the way our residents live," said Chuck Matthews, vice president at DMB.

The HomeStar Wiring System is a complete home wiring solution that supports a variety of interactive voice, data, video and multimedia products and communications services throughout the home. HomeStar is a single network wiring system that provides instant "plug and play" access to ISDN services, Internet access, CATV programs, video-on-demand, satellite signals and fax/modem capabilities. In addition, the system provides control of security systems and home automation technologies, like lighting and temperature control, from anywhere in or outside of the home.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Steve McAbee
404-315-9399
mcabee@lucent.com