'Verizon Fios' Initially Will Offer Three High-Speed Data Options Including
Speeds 10 Times Faster Than Current Consumer Broadband Services and Prices as
Low as $34.95
Additional Fiber Deployments Under Way in California and Florida
NEW YORK, July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon customers in Keller, Texas, soon
will be the first to receive groundbreaking high-speed Internet services over
Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network. The company is raising the
bar on consumer broadband today by introducing data speeds of up to 30
megabits-per-second (Mbps) in Keller later this summer and in other markets
later this year. Prices start at $34.95 per month.
The company also announced additional fiber deployments that are under way
in California and Florida.
The new suite of fiber-optic services will be called Verizon Fios(sm)
(FYE-ose). FTTP technology utilizes fiber-optic connections -- instead of
copper wire -- directly into homes and businesses to enable a broad array of
voice, data and video applications.
Fios consists of three consumer Internet access services. At 30 Mbps, the
fastest data service is ten times faster than consumer broadband speeds
typically available today. Entry and mid-level services at speeds of 5 Mbps
and 15 Mbps also beat the speeds and prices of today's consumer broadband.
"Fios will set the new standard for consumer broadband services in
America," said Bob Ingalls, president of Verizon's Retail Markets group. "Our
customers will be amazed at the online world that Fios opens to them, as it
can make applications like video chat and conferencing, digital movie
downloads, and interactive multi-player games a part of their daily lives."
Ingalls added that Verizon is using the most advanced technology to
deliver downstream and upstream speeds that will give customers truly
interactive, two-way broadband capabilities.
"The Internet is an increasingly interactive place where quickly sending
information is just as important as quickly receiving it," he said. "From
uploading multi-megabit e-mails with photo attachments, to using voice-over-IP
services or interacting with the office from home, Fios will give customers
unprecedented speed, efficiency and productivity at very competitive prices."
Each Fios service is available either as part of a bundle of local and
long-distance calling services from Verizon or as a stand-alone Internet
access service. The company plans a Fios video offering to give consumers an
alternative to cable TV in 2005.
Maximum connection speeds and pricing for Fios consumer services are:
* 5 Mbps/2 Mbps for $34.95 a month as part of a calling package, or
$39.95 a month stand-alone
* 15 Mbps/2 Mbps for $44.95 a month as part of a calling package, or
$49.95 a month stand-alone
* 30 Mbps/5 Mbps at pricing to be announced later
"In addition to an outstanding array of high-speed access options, we will
provide our customers with a first-class installation experience, where a
Verizon technician visits the home, sets up the connection and configures the
service for you," said Ingalls.
Each consumer data offer includes the suite of services currently
available to Verizon Online DSL customers at no additional charge, including:
MSN Premium content; Verizon's new Broadband Beat entertainment portal
optimized for high-speed access featuring news games, streaming video and
more; up to nine e-mail accounts with 30 megabytes (MB) of storage for the
primary account and an additional 10 MB for each sub-account; address book and
calendar; 10 MB personal Web space and a Web site building tool; and access to
newsgroups.
Verizon Expands FTTP Deployment in California and Florida
Verizon also has begun building its FTTP network in parts of California,
Florida and Texas:
* In California, Verizon plans to pass about 100,000 homes and
businesses with FTTP technology in the Huntington Beach area and in
other parts of Southern California.
* In Florida, Verizon plans to pass about 100,000 homes and businesses
with FTTP technology in the Tampa area and parts of Hillsborough
County.
* In Texas, Verizon plans to pass 100,000 homes in part of the Dallas-
Fort Worth metroplex, including Keller, which was announced by the
company in May.
Verizon intends to pass 1 million homes and businesses in parts of nine
states with fiber by the end of the year.
"Thousands of people can now see for themselves that fiber from Verizon is
coming down their streets and heading straight for their doors, and the
excitement in these communities is building," said Paul Lacouture, president
of Verizon's Network Services group.
"Our approach to FTTP recognizes that broadband is a truly interactive
technology, with upstream capabilities playing just as key a role in
consumers' online activities as downstream speeds," Lacouture added. "This is
in contrast to other providers' plans that focus primarily on one-way
entertainment applications that meet more limited, short-term customer needs.
Our FTTP deployment will help ensure that our network meets customers' needs
today and supports any imaginable requirement that could evolve tomorrow. It
will transform the way customers think about and use communications,
information and entertainment services."
A Dow 30 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) is one of the world's
leading providers of communications services, with approximately $68 billion
in annual revenues. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline
and wireless communications in the United States. Verizon is also the largest
directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and
circulation. Verizon's international presence includes wireline and wireless
communications operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and
Europe. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com.
VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches
and biographies, media contacts and other information are available at
Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at http://www.verizon.com/news.
To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for
customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.
SOURCE Verizon Communications
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Related links:
http://www.verizon.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/618232.html
CONTACT:
Eric Rabe of Verizon Communications,
+1-212-395-0500, or eric.rabe@verizon.com
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