TMCnet News
Verizon Continues to Roll Out FiOS TVTMCnet Associate Editor
Verizon announced today that its all-fiber FiOS TV service is now available in the Long Island, N.Y., communities of Bethpage, Hicksville, Lynbrook, Malverne, Rockville Centre, Valley Stream and West Hempstead. FiOS TV is run over Verizon’s fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network, which the company currently is building in more than half of the states where it offers landline services. FTTP technology utilizes fiber-optic connections, instead of copper wire, and thus provides true “end-to-end” digital connectivity. The all fiber network will enable Verizon to offer advanced voice, data and video applications for residential and business customers (including VoIP, IPTV and Video-on-Demand), plus, future services which are yet to be developed. The company is offering several tiers of service with downstream speeds of up to 5, 15 and 30 Mbps and upstream speeds of up to 5 Mbps. Small-business owners can also choose from “three flavors” of service and either a dynamic or static IP address. All business service tiers include free professional installation and 24x7 business-grade technical support. Companies can also receive 20 MB of Web space and unlimited remote dial-up access to keep employees connected. “FiOS is setting the new standard for consumer and small-business broadband services in New York,” said Thomas A. Dunne, vice president of Verizon New York/Connecticut. “Customers who already subscribe to FiOS services are astounded at what they now can do with their online experience. Video chats and conferencing, purchased digital movie downloads and interactive multi-player games have become a part of their daily lives.” In addition, Verizon announced yesterday that it has been granted authority to offer FiOS TV to 735,000 residents of Hillsborough County, Fla. It also announced that it has launched FiOS TV to 2,400 households in southern Manatee County. “This is a tremendous day for the citizens of Hillsborough and Manatee County,” said Alan Ciamporcero, Verizon’s Southeast region president, in a news release. “Residents of Temple Terrace are already discovering both the benefits of competitive choice and the outstanding technological qualities of our fiber network. Verizon commends the Hillsborough County Commission for getting this job done. We look forward to building out our fiber network throughout the county and to providing our great FiOS Internet and TV services as quickly as possible.” Verizon already has fiber in significant portions of Hillsborough County, which will begin to receive FiOS TV in the coming months. In Manatee County, Verizon is making FiOS TV available immediately to 2,400 households and will extend the service in additional parts of the county in the near future, as determined by the company’s franchise agreement and its network deployment plans. Verizon recently started selling FiOS TV in several north Texas communities, as well as in communities in Virginia, New York and Massachusetts, and sales have reportedly been strong. The company reports that 21 percent of the residents in Keller, Texas, have already signed up for the service. Verizon’s network design includes backup facilities not common to traditional cable systems, such as duplicate “super head ends” where the TV service receives national programming. For more information visit http://www.verizon.com/. Patrick Barnard is Associate Editor for TMCnet and a columnist covering the telecom industry. To see more of his articles, please visit Patrick Barnard’s columnist page. |