30mbps Fiber Optics: Coming to your home in 2005..
Posted: 2004-07-20 02:14pm
Clickitty!
Readitty!:
Verizon Communications has stepped up its battle against cable operators
with plans to debut a broadband-over-fiber service later this summer.
The service, called Fios, will be launched in Keller, Texas, and later parts of
southern California and Florida, the company said Monday. At up to
30mbps (megabits per second), Fios is a quantum leap compared with
Verizon's DSL (digital subscriber line) service, which runs at a maximum of
1.5mbps.
Fios can reach these speeds because it's based on fiber-optic lines that
serve Internet access at a much higher clip than the traditional copper
wires that support DSL.
Verizon also unveiled plans to sell cable television over the speedy Fios
connection in 2005, boosting its strategy of offering customers a triple pack
of services--voice calls, video and broadband--sold at discounted prices if
purchased in a bundle. Cable operators have been using their own "triple
play" strategy for several years to woo customers away from Verizon and
the three other regional Bell operating companies
The launch of Fios opens a new front in a war between the Bells and the
cable industry. Both sides are trying to lure the millions of Americans who
are upgrading from slow dial-up services to speedier broadband
connections. Cable leads in overall broadband market share, but the Bells
have kept pace largely through aggressive DSL discounts and promotions.
Some of the Bells, such as Verizon and SBC Communications, see fiber as
an answer to their problems. The Federal Communications Commission
plans to allow the Bells to invest in fiber without requiring them to share
their infrastructure with third parties, as is the case with copper wire
networks. For many years, the Bells have protested that the line-sharing
rules on copper wire networks are unfair, because cable companies are not
required to share their lines.
Of the four Bells, Verizon is considered the furthest along with its fiber
plans. It reiterated on Monday its goal of reaching 1 million homes and
offices by the end of the year, with a third coming from expansion in
Huntington Beach, Calif.; Tampa, Fla., and the Dallas-Fort Worth areas.
"Fiber from Verizon is coming down their streets and heading straight for
their doors, and the excitement in these communities is building," Paul
Lacouture, president of Verizon's network services group, said in a
statement.
Fios will be only slightly more expensive than Verizon's DSL plans, even
though it will be much faster, and Verizon will supply the modems needed
to make the switch to fiber, a company representative said.
A 2mbps to 5mbps Fios connection will cost $35 a month if purchased along
with Verizon's local and long-distance telephone service. The service will
cost $40 if purchased alone. A connection of up to 15mbps is available for
$45 a month if purchased as part of the same telephone service bundle, or
$50 alone. The company did not reveal pricing for the 30mbps plans.
Readitty!:
Verizon Communications has stepped up its battle against cable operators
with plans to debut a broadband-over-fiber service later this summer.
The service, called Fios, will be launched in Keller, Texas, and later parts of
southern California and Florida, the company said Monday. At up to
30mbps (megabits per second), Fios is a quantum leap compared with
Verizon's DSL (digital subscriber line) service, which runs at a maximum of
1.5mbps.
Fios can reach these speeds because it's based on fiber-optic lines that
serve Internet access at a much higher clip than the traditional copper
wires that support DSL.
Verizon also unveiled plans to sell cable television over the speedy Fios
connection in 2005, boosting its strategy of offering customers a triple pack
of services--voice calls, video and broadband--sold at discounted prices if
purchased in a bundle. Cable operators have been using their own "triple
play" strategy for several years to woo customers away from Verizon and
the three other regional Bell operating companies
The launch of Fios opens a new front in a war between the Bells and the
cable industry. Both sides are trying to lure the millions of Americans who
are upgrading from slow dial-up services to speedier broadband
connections. Cable leads in overall broadband market share, but the Bells
have kept pace largely through aggressive DSL discounts and promotions.
Some of the Bells, such as Verizon and SBC Communications, see fiber as
an answer to their problems. The Federal Communications Commission
plans to allow the Bells to invest in fiber without requiring them to share
their infrastructure with third parties, as is the case with copper wire
networks. For many years, the Bells have protested that the line-sharing
rules on copper wire networks are unfair, because cable companies are not
required to share their lines.
Of the four Bells, Verizon is considered the furthest along with its fiber
plans. It reiterated on Monday its goal of reaching 1 million homes and
offices by the end of the year, with a third coming from expansion in
Huntington Beach, Calif.; Tampa, Fla., and the Dallas-Fort Worth areas.
"Fiber from Verizon is coming down their streets and heading straight for
their doors, and the excitement in these communities is building," Paul
Lacouture, president of Verizon's network services group, said in a
statement.
Fios will be only slightly more expensive than Verizon's DSL plans, even
though it will be much faster, and Verizon will supply the modems needed
to make the switch to fiber, a company representative said.
A 2mbps to 5mbps Fios connection will cost $35 a month if purchased along
with Verizon's local and long-distance telephone service. The service will
cost $40 if purchased alone. A connection of up to 15mbps is available for
$45 a month if purchased as part of the same telephone service bundle, or
$50 alone. The company did not reveal pricing for the 30mbps plans.
