Comporium adds member to Security Dealer Program

ROCK HILL, S.C.—Telco-cum-security company and central station Comporium, based here, has announced a new partner in its quintuple play of bundled services, comprising voice, video, data, wireless and security.

Massillon, Ohio-based cable TV provider Massillon Cable is the latest telco to join the Comporium Security Dealer Program. Massillon Cable TV president Bob Gessner said the partnership allowed Massillon to leverage Comporium's security industry knowledge. “We're a full-service broadband provider and we've been looking at home security for a couple of years as a complementary service. It fits really well into our core business,” Gessner said. “Comporium brings great experience. They've been in security for many years. They have a good installed base of customers, and they know how this works … In this day and age, I don't think anyone wants to take a long time struggling up a learning curve.”

The Comporium Security Dealer Program began in November, 2009 as a three-way partnership between Texas-based security and home automation solution provider uControl, Comporium, and Missouri-based telco NewWave Communications. In an interview with Security Systems News at that time, Comporium GM Dan Lehman said the offering would take what used to be considered “over-the-top add-ons” and make them a “regular part of the feature set,” setting their dealers apart, increasing value and setting the new standard for what a solution can—and should—do.

Lehman said the dealer program would allow partner telcos to access new markets and provide more services. “I think this is going to be very appealing to the end user. Security has been just security for the last 20 years,” Lehman said. “Now you've got a converged-type service that can bring a lot more value to the consumer. We can get to another audience that the security industry hasn't been able to get to for the last 20 years. It's a pretty radical shift within the industry.”

Massillon Cable TV is a locally owned and operated communications company providing video, data and voice services to more than 47,000 homes and businesses in Western Stark and Central Wayne counties, Ohio. Gessner said that while Massillon currently delivers some kind of broadband service to 47,000 accounts, its total potential footprint is more like 68,000. “Perhaps we can launch to a new demographic that's interested in the technology of this,” Gessner said. “In order to break into that demo you need to provide things that you usually don't think of for home security.”