Amazon said Alexa, Echo and the Echo Dot services are available in Germany and the United Kingdom
German operator Deutsche Telekom (DT) confirmed its non-proprietary platform for connected homes Qivicom will be integrated with the Alexa app from Amazon. With this new service customers will soon be able to run their connected homes using only their voice to control lights, blinds, alarm systems and much more with their voice via Alexa-enabled devices like the Amazon Echo.
The German telco said Magenta SmartHome customers can start using the voice service in their homes as soon as Amazon Echo is available in Germany.
“With Alexa there are many new opportunities to make the connected home even smarter and more comfortable,” said Christian von Reventlow, Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Deutsche Telekom. “Working with Amazon allows us to share even more innovation with our customers. We believe strongly in the future of voice-controlled smart homes.”
Deutsche Telekom explained that the Magenta SmartHome Alexa skill is included in the Amazon Alexa app. When activated, this function is linked with Magenta SmartHome and customers can use their voice to control their smart home.
Selected Telekom Magenta SmartHome customers are taking part in an exclusive Echo test phase in Germany and have been given the chance to try out Magenta SmartHome with Alexa before Echo is launched on the market. These customers will receive a direct invitation to the test and can then register with Amazon.
The Qivicom platform has an open architecture and is designed to integrate with multiple connected devices and support new revenue generating services.
DT’s Connected Home platform was launched in 2013. DT said more than 40 partners from different sectors including retail, insurance, energy and telecommunications currently use the smart home platform.
Amazon recently announced that Alexa, Echo, and the new Echo Dot are now available for customers in the UK and Germany. The US company said that developers and hardware makers around the world can create Alexa skills for UK and German customers with the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) or integrate Alexa into their hardware with the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) starting in early 2017.
