AT&T is preparing to open a pair of new research facilities in Atlanta and Dallas over the next few months, which will bring the total number of AT&T Foundry centers to five worldwide. AT&T also has Foundry facilities in Palo Alto, California and one in Israel for a total of five today. 

According to a blog post by John Donovan, senior executive vice president of AT&T technology and network operations, the  Atlanta  facility will focus on technologies around the company’s new home automation and security product Digital Life, all things wireless, the “connected car” and other consumer platforms. The facility in Dallas will be dedicated to Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Connected Device technology. 

The AT&T Foundry in Atlanta is the result of collaboration between AT&T, Cisco, Georgia Tech, and state and local business and political leadership.

Donovan said the goal is to identify new ideas and turn them into products and services as quickly as possible.

“That’s what makes the AT&T Foundry unique in the industry,” Donovan wrote. “These aren’t showcases or research labs. They’re launching pads for the next generation of cutting-edge applications and services that will improve how we all live.”

Industry analyst Jeff Kagan says that carrier research facilities like AT&T’s, as well as those funded by other major carriers, have made big difference in the delivery of new products to market. 

“The process of new ideas becoming real products and apps has really sped up over the last few years,” Kagan said. “Companies like AT&T were always overwhelmed with so many great ideas. That’s what the AT&T Foundry is all about. The AT&T Foundry is about speeding up the process from new idea to real product or app.”