Verizon FiOS
Encyclopedia
Verizon FiOS is a bundled
Internet access
, telephone
, and television
service which operates over a fiber-optic
communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States
by Verizon Communications
. Verizon was one of the first major U.S. carriers to offer fiber to the home, and received positive ratings from Consumer Reports
among cable television and Internet service providers.
Other service providers often use fiber optics in the network backbone and existing copper or infrastructure for residential users. Service began in 2005, and coverage areas expanded through 2010, although some areas do not have service or cannot receive TV and phone service because of franchise agreements.
As described in 2007, Verizon FiOS services are delivered over a fiber-to-the-premises network using passive optical network
technology. Voice, video, and data travel over three wavelength
s in the infrared
spectrum. To serve a home, a single-mode optical fiber
extends from an optical line terminal at a FiOS central office
out to the neighborhoods where a passive optical splitter
fans out the same signal on up to 32 fibers, thus serving up to 32 subscribers. At the subscriber's home, an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) transfers data onto the corresponding in-home copper wiring for phone, video and Internet access.
Older FiOS installations mount the ONT inside the house and use Category 5
cable for data and coaxial cable
for video, while newer markets mount the ONT outside the house and use Multimedia over Coax Alliance
(MoCA) protocol for both data and video over a single coaxial cable. Voice service is carried over the existing telephone wires already in the house.
One of the three wavelength bands is devoted to carrying television channel
s using standard QAM cable television
technology. The other two wavelengths are devoted to all other data, one for outbound and the other for inbound data. This includes video on demand
, telephone and Internet data.
This allocation of wavelengths adheres to the ITU-T
G.983
standard, also known as an ATM
passive optical network
(APON). Verizon initially installed slower BPONs but now only installs GPONs specified in the ITU-T G.984
standard. These bands and speeds are:
The set top box (STB) receives IR code and channel subscription information through the out-of-band
(OOB) channel just as other coax or RF
-based STB's do. However, guide data, cover art, widgets and other data are sent via IP over the data channels. All upstream OOB requests (or responses) are sent via IP over the data channels. All non-OOB data transactions to or from STB's are carried over the MoCA channels. The MoCA channel is also used to carry out inter-STB transactions (multi-room DVR, synchronization, etc.).
and upstream
. Six different offerings are available:
Legacy speed tiers include: 5/2, 10/2, 15/2, 15/15, 20/5, 20/20, 25/15, 30/5, 30/15, and 35/20.
, unlike AT&T's U-verse product. However, video on demand
content and interactive features, such as widgets and programing guide
data, are delivered using IPTV-based technology. The majority of content is provided over a standard broadcast video signal that carries digital QAM content up to 870 MHz. This broadcast content originates from a Super Head-End
, which sends the signal to a Video Hub Office for distribution to FiOS TV customers.
From the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) at the subscriber premise, the RF video is delivered with a coaxial connection
to typically a FiOS set-top box
that handles both RF and IPTV video. Interactive services such as VOD and widgets are delivered by IP and are only accessible through use of a FiOS set-top box
and a Verizon-supplied router. The router supports multimedia (MOCA
) and provides the set-top boxes with programming guides and all SD channels, but high definition
content (beyond local HD channels which are in clear QAM) requires HD equipment like a FiOS HD set-top box/DVR or a CableCARD
-supporting device, such as TiVo
. Through 2008, Verizon ceased carrying analog television signals in parallel with digital channels, meaning televisions without a QAM tuner or a set-top digital adapter received no signal.
Prime HD, Extreme HD, Ultimate HD, with La Conexión (a Spanish language
-oriented plan) and broadcast and local access channels only.
Additional subscription packages are available, including sports packages, pay-per-view
channels, and video on demand
content.
as well as VoIP over FiOS. The common model optical network terminals have two or four phone jacks.
There have been reports in various markets that Verizon physically disconnected the copper lines (or the network interface device
, necessary for copper-line phone service) at the time that FiOS was installed.
Power outages may affect service availability. Since fiber-optic service does not carry power from the exchange
as copper service does, the customer's power is used instead. This means that if there is no electricity at the premises, telephone service will be interrupted. This may be an issue for sites that experience extended power outages that depend on analog phone lines for remote monitoring, alarm systems
, and/or emergency calls. Verizon provides a rechargeable battery backup unit free with installation of the service, which powers the ONT for eight hours continuneously, longer with normal useage, to provide telephone service in the event of a power outage.
(VoIP) service with premium features, began in September 2008. It replaced an earlier service called VoiceWing which was launched in 2004.
Verizon announced expanded availability for 2009.
The expansion took longer than planned, as Verizon continued to lose traditional wireline customers. By June 2010 Digital Voice was available in 11 states (Delaware
, Maryland
, New Jersey
, New York
, Virginia
, California
, Texas
, Massachusetts
, Rhode Island
, Pennsylvania
, and Florida
) and the District of Columbia.
It offers both an unlimited calling and a per-minute plan.
Verizon announced plans to expand its FiOS coverage to all Verizon territories across the United States. In 2006 The Wall Street Journal
speculated:
Price increases were announced in 2008 when FiOS was available to 6.5 million households.
In January 2009, FiOS was available to 12.7 million homes, with about 2.5 million subscribing to the Internet service.
, FiOS Internet had 3.1 million customers.
Estimates on December 31, 2009, were 3.4 million Internet customers and 2.86 million for FiOS TV, with availability down to 12.2 million premises.
Verizon announced in March 2010 they were winding down their FiOS expansion, concentrating on completing their network in areas that already had FiOS franchises but were not deploying to new areas, which included the cities of Baltimore
and Boston
, who had not yet secured municipal franchise agreements.
In July 2010, estimates were 3.8 million FiOS Internet subscribers and 3.2 million TV subscribers, with availability to 15 million homes.
Verizon sold landline operations in the markets of northern New England
to FairPoint Communications
in March 2008.
Fiber to the premises projects in those markets was renamed as FAST (Fiber Access Speed Technology). In June 2010, Verizon sold landline operations scattered throughout 13 states to Frontier Communications.
Some of these areas already had FiOS service availability, for which Frontier became responsible.
Triple play (telecommunications)
In telecommunications, triple play service is a marketing term for the provisioning of two bandwidth-intensive services, high-speed Internet access and television, and a less bandwidth-demanding service, telephone, over a single broadband connection. Triple play focuses on a combined business...
Internet access
Internet access
Many technologies and service plans for Internet access allow customers to connect to the Internet.Consumer use first became popular through dial-up connections in the 20th century....
, telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
, and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
service which operates over a fiber-optic
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
. Verizon was one of the first major U.S. carriers to offer fiber to the home, and received positive ratings from Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports is an American magazine published monthly by Consumers Union since 1936. It publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory. It also publishes cleaning and general buying guides...
among cable television and Internet service providers.
Other service providers often use fiber optics in the network backbone and existing copper or infrastructure for residential users. Service began in 2005, and coverage areas expanded through 2010, although some areas do not have service or cannot receive TV and phone service because of franchise agreements.
Technical details
As described in 2007, Verizon FiOS services are delivered over a fiber-to-the-premises network using passive optical network
Passive optical network
A passive optical network is a point-to-multipoint, fiber to the premises network architecture in which unpowered optical splitters are used to enable a single optical fiber to serve multiple premises, typically 16-128. A PON consists of an optical line terminal at the service provider's central...
technology. Voice, video, and data travel over three wavelength
Wavelength
In physics, the wavelength of a sinusoidal wave is the spatial period of the wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.It is usually determined by considering the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase, such as crests, troughs, or zero crossings, and is a...
s in the infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
spectrum. To serve a home, a single-mode optical fiber
Single-mode optical fiber
In fiber-optic communication, a single-mode optical fiber is an optical fiber designed to carry only a single ray of light . Modes are the possible solutions of the Helmholtz equation for waves, which is obtained by combining Maxwell's equations and the boundary conditions...
extends from an optical line terminal at a FiOS central office
Telephone exchange
In the field of telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls...
out to the neighborhoods where a passive optical splitter
Beam splitter
A beam splitter is an optical device that splits a beam of light in two. It is the crucial part of most interferometers.In its most common form, a rectangle, it is made from two triangular glass prisms which are glued together at their base using Canada balsam...
fans out the same signal on up to 32 fibers, thus serving up to 32 subscribers. At the subscriber's home, an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) transfers data onto the corresponding in-home copper wiring for phone, video and Internet access.
Older FiOS installations mount the ONT inside the house and use Category 5
Category 5
Category 5 may refer to:*Category 5 , an album from rock band, FireHouse*Category 5 cable, used for carrying data*Category 5 computer virus, as classified by Symantec Corporation*Category 5 Records, a record label...
cable for data and coaxial cable
Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...
for video, while newer markets mount the ONT outside the house and use Multimedia over Coax Alliance
Multimedia over Coax Alliance
Multimedia over Coax Alliance is a trade group promoting a standard that uses coaxial cables to connect consumer electronics and home networking devices in homes. It allows both data communication and the transfer of audio and video streams....
(MoCA) protocol for both data and video over a single coaxial cable. Voice service is carried over the existing telephone wires already in the house.
One of the three wavelength bands is devoted to carrying television channel
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
s using standard QAM cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
technology. The other two wavelengths are devoted to all other data, one for outbound and the other for inbound data. This includes video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
, telephone and Internet data.
This allocation of wavelengths adheres to the ITU-T
ITU-T
The ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector is one of the three sectors of the International Telecommunication Union ; it coordinates standards for telecommunications....
G.983
G.983
ITU-T Recommendation G.983 is a family of recommendations that defines Broadband Passive Optical Network for telecommunications Access networks. It originally comprised ten recommendations, G.983.1 through G.983.10, but recommendations .6–.10 were withdrawn when their content was...
standard, also known as an ATM
Asynchronous Transfer Mode
Asynchronous Transfer Mode is a standard switching technique designed to unify telecommunication and computer networks. It uses asynchronous time-division multiplexing, and it encodes data into small, fixed-sized cells. This differs from approaches such as the Internet Protocol or Ethernet that...
passive optical network
Passive optical network
A passive optical network is a point-to-multipoint, fiber to the premises network architecture in which unpowered optical splitters are used to enable a single optical fiber to serve multiple premises, typically 16-128. A PON consists of an optical line terminal at the service provider's central...
(APON). Verizon initially installed slower BPONs but now only installs GPONs specified in the ITU-T G.984
G.984
ITU-T Recommendation G.984 is a family of recommendations that defines gigabit passive optical networks for telecommunications access networks...
standard. These bands and speeds are:
- 1310 nmNanometreA nanometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one billionth of a metre. The name combines the SI prefix nano- with the parent unit name metre .The nanometre is often used to express dimensions on the atomic scale: the diameter...
wavelength for upstreamUpstreamIn geography, upstream literally means towards the source of a stream or river, or against the normal direction of water flow.Upstream is the opposite of downstream...
data at 155 Mbit/s (1.2 Gbit/s with GPON) - 1490 nm wavelength for downstreamDownstream-Science:* In geography, away from the source of a stream or river* In meteorology, away from the source of an air parcel or mass, along the normal direction of water or air flow* Downstream , in computer or telecommunications networks...
data at 622 Mbit/s (2.4 Gbit/s with GPON) - 1550 nm wavelength for QAM cable television with 870 MHz of bandwidth
The set top box (STB) receives IR code and channel subscription information through the out-of-band
Out-of-band
The term out-of-band has different uses in communications and telecommunication. In case of out-of-band control signaling, signaling bits are sent in special order in a dedicated signaling frame...
(OOB) channel just as other coax or RF
RF
-Science and technology:* Radiative forcing, a measure of the change in balance of the energy absorbed and emitted by the Earth's atmosphere* "Rate of flow", as in Volumetric flow rate* Radio frequency...
-based STB's do. However, guide data, cover art, widgets and other data are sent via IP over the data channels. All upstream OOB requests (or responses) are sent via IP over the data channels. All non-OOB data transactions to or from STB's are carried over the MoCA channels. The MoCA channel is also used to carry out inter-STB transactions (multi-room DVR, synchronization, etc.).
Internet access
FiOS offers several service tiers that are available individually, but are offered at significant discounts when combined in a bundle. Although all current tiers are available nationwide, price varies between markets and some legacy tiers are only available in select markets. The tiers are distinguished by data transmission speed measured in Mbit/s downstreamDownstream
-Science:* In geography, away from the source of a stream or river* In meteorology, away from the source of an air parcel or mass, along the normal direction of water or air flow* Downstream , in computer or telecommunications networks...
and upstream
Upstream
In geography, upstream literally means towards the source of a stream or river, or against the normal direction of water flow.Upstream is the opposite of downstream...
. Six different offerings are available:
- 3/1 – offered as an upgrade to FiOS for DSL customers
- 15/5 – lowest bundled tier
- 25/25 – middle bundled tier
- 35/35 – highest bundled tier
- 50/20 – only available individually
- 150/35 – only available individually; it requires a GPON optical network terminal, which is only available in GPON deployed central offices
Legacy speed tiers include: 5/2, 10/2, 15/2, 15/15, 20/5, 20/20, 25/15, 30/5, 30/15, and 35/20.
Television
Verizon's broadcast video service is not IPTVIPTV
Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
, unlike AT&T's U-verse product. However, video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
content and interactive features, such as widgets and programing guide
Electronic program guide
Electronic program guides and interactive program guides provide users of television, radio, and other media applications with continuously updated menus displaying broadcast programming or scheduling information for current and upcoming programming...
data, are delivered using IPTV-based technology. The majority of content is provided over a standard broadcast video signal that carries digital QAM content up to 870 MHz. This broadcast content originates from a Super Head-End
Cable television headend
A cable television headend is a master facility for receiving television signals for processing and distribution over a cable television system. The headend facility is normally unstaffed and surrounded by some type of security fencing and is typically a building or large shed housing electronic...
, which sends the signal to a Video Hub Office for distribution to FiOS TV customers.
From the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) at the subscriber premise, the RF video is delivered with a coaxial connection
Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...
to typically a FiOS set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
that handles both RF and IPTV video. Interactive services such as VOD and widgets are delivered by IP and are only accessible through use of a FiOS set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
and a Verizon-supplied router. The router supports multimedia (MOCA
Multimedia over Coax Alliance
Multimedia over Coax Alliance is a trade group promoting a standard that uses coaxial cables to connect consumer electronics and home networking devices in homes. It allows both data communication and the transfer of audio and video streams....
) and provides the set-top boxes with programming guides and all SD channels, but high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
content (beyond local HD channels which are in clear QAM) requires HD equipment like a FiOS HD set-top box/DVR or a CableCARD
CableCARD
CableCARD is a special-use PCMCIA card that allows consumers in the United States to view and record digital cable television channels on digital video recorders, personal computers and television sets without the use of other equipment such as a set top box provided by a cable television company...
-supporting device, such as TiVo
TiVo
TiVo is a digital video recorder developed and marketed by TiVo, Inc. and introduced in 1999. TiVo provides an on-screen guide of scheduled broadcast programming television programs, whose features include "Season Pass" schedules which record every new episode of a series, and "WishList"...
. Through 2008, Verizon ceased carrying analog television signals in parallel with digital channels, meaning televisions without a QAM tuner or a set-top digital adapter received no signal.
Service tiers
FiOS TV service tiers include:Prime HD, Extreme HD, Ultimate HD, with La Conexión (a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-oriented plan) and broadcast and local access channels only.
Additional subscription packages are available, including sports packages, pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
channels, and video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
content.
Telephone
Verizon offers regular telephone servicePlain old telephone service
Plain old telephone service is the voice-grade telephone service that remains the basic form of residential and small business service connection to the telephone network in many parts of the world....
as well as VoIP over FiOS. The common model optical network terminals have two or four phone jacks.
There have been reports in various markets that Verizon physically disconnected the copper lines (or the network interface device
Network interface device
In telecommunications, a Network Interface Device is a device that serves as the demarcation point between the carrier's local loop and the customer's premises wiring....
, necessary for copper-line phone service) at the time that FiOS was installed.
Power outages may affect service availability. Since fiber-optic service does not carry power from the exchange
Telephone exchange
In the field of telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls...
as copper service does, the customer's power is used instead. This means that if there is no electricity at the premises, telephone service will be interrupted. This may be an issue for sites that experience extended power outages that depend on analog phone lines for remote monitoring, alarm systems
Burglar alarm
Burglar , alarms are systems designed to detect unauthorized entry into a building or area. They consist of an array of sensors, a control panel and alerting system, and interconnections...
, and/or emergency calls. Verizon provides a rechargeable battery backup unit free with installation of the service, which powers the ONT for eight hours continuneously, longer with normal useage, to provide telephone service in the event of a power outage.
FiOS Digital Voice
FiOS Digital Voice, a Voice over IPVoice over IP
Voice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
(VoIP) service with premium features, began in September 2008. It replaced an earlier service called VoiceWing which was launched in 2004.
Verizon announced expanded availability for 2009.
The expansion took longer than planned, as Verizon continued to lose traditional wireline customers. By June 2010 Digital Voice was available in 11 states (Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
) and the District of Columbia.
It offers both an unlimited calling and a per-minute plan.
Availability
FiOS Television service began in 2005.Verizon announced plans to expand its FiOS coverage to all Verizon territories across the United States. In 2006 The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
speculated:
Price increases were announced in 2008 when FiOS was available to 6.5 million households.
In January 2009, FiOS was available to 12.7 million homes, with about 2.5 million subscribing to the Internet service.
, FiOS Internet had 3.1 million customers.
Estimates on December 31, 2009, were 3.4 million Internet customers and 2.86 million for FiOS TV, with availability down to 12.2 million premises.
Verizon announced in March 2010 they were winding down their FiOS expansion, concentrating on completing their network in areas that already had FiOS franchises but were not deploying to new areas, which included the cities of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, who had not yet secured municipal franchise agreements.
In July 2010, estimates were 3.8 million FiOS Internet subscribers and 3.2 million TV subscribers, with availability to 15 million homes.
Verizon sold landline operations in the markets of northern New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
to FairPoint Communications
FairPoint Communications
FairPoint Communications, Inc. is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and operates communication services in 32 markets in 18 states, mostly in rural areas....
in March 2008.
Fiber to the premises projects in those markets was renamed as FAST (Fiber Access Speed Technology). In June 2010, Verizon sold landline operations scattered throughout 13 states to Frontier Communications.
Some of these areas already had FiOS service availability, for which Frontier became responsible.
See also
- Fiber-optic communicationFiber-optic communicationFiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber. The light forms an electromagnetic carrier wave that is modulated to carry information...
- List of Verizon FiOS channels
- AT&T U-verse
- Virgin MediaVirgin MediaVirgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
- Multiple system operator
Further reading
- Marsan, C. D. (2008). Verizon FiOS tech heading to enterprises; Claims new high-speed optical networks slash floor space, electricity needs. Network World, (1). Retrieved March 8, 2009.
- Searcey, D. (2006). Telecommunications; Beyond Cable; Beyond DSL: Fiber-optic lines offer connection speeds up to 50 times faster than traditional services; Here's what early users have to say. The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, (R9). Retrieved March 7, 2009.