Japanese multinational conglomerate Sony has announced plans to join hands with Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings (Tepco) to provide an all-in-one smart home service in Japan, reports said earlier this week.
Japanese multinational conglomerate Sony has announced plans to join hands with Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings (Tepco) to provide an all-in-one smart home service in Japan, reports said earlier this week.
In a report published by the Nikkei Asian Review, this new-round of collaboration aims to provide households with energy-saving and power consumption services, including the monitor of children and elderly in the house.
According to the Review, the two companies plan to bring their services to an estimated 20 million Tepco household customers. Meanwhile, Sony Mobile Communications and Tepco Energy Partner are to sign a basic agreement as early as next week and kick off discussions for commencing the service.
Details of the partnership have yet to be announced, it said, however citing that Sony Mobile will likely provide small devices for collecting and transmitting data on individual appliances' current status and power usage, as well as other information, such as room temperatures.
Tepco, is a Japanese electric utility servicing Japan's Kanto region, Yamanashi Prefecture, and the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture. It is a founding member of strategic consortiums related to energy innovation and research; such as JINED, INCJ and MAI.
The new smart home service will likely be rolled out by next year, the report said.