Information AboutFios |
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FiOS is a Fiber To The Premises (FTTP) Telecommunications service offered in the United States by Verizon . According to Verizon's Trademark (No. 3001081), FiOS (in Gaelic) means "knowledge" in English. Verizon has attracted consumer and media attention in the area of Broadband Internet Access , as the first major U.S. carrier to offer such a service. Verizon is also developing a Television service with its Fiber Optic lines, and is expected to become a major competition of local Cable Television companies over the next 10 years. It will compete with current '' Triple Play '' offers, where the local cable company offers broadband Internet access, Digital Cable , and VoIP telephone service. FiOS started as a pilot program in Keller, Texas , but is now expanding to other places. BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE Verizon has opted to invest heavily in a fiber infrastructure, betting that its competitors will shy away from such an expensive and risky investment. The strategy seems to hinge upon a higher quality, higher capability network, contrasting with lower prices offered by competitors. Part of Verizon's strategy is to compete with Cable Television by partnering with content providers to provide content through its fiber optic service, available in limited areas since late 2005. SERVICE OFFERING Internet Access There are three tiers of residential Internet service...
Please note that monthly prices can be lower if one commits to a one-year contract. Furthermore, prices are lower if bundled with a Verizon calling package. Typically, a consumer with existing Verizon phone service will receive $5 off his or her monthly FiOS bill. Employees and retirees of Verizon companies who live in FiOS-qualified areas can receive the 15 Mbit/s downstream residential service for $39.95/month. [http://www.verizon-media.com/iweb/retirees/emails/email050205_fios_discount.shtml]. Port 80 and Port 25 inbound are blocked; however, port 25 outbound seems to be open at this time. [http://www.dslreports.com/faq/13225] Though not widely advertised, business service is available in some areas, with static IP addresses and no blocked ports. For example, the business version of the 15/down 2/up with 5 IP addresses is $99/month in Massachusetts. Speed has recently been increased in the Tri-State Region where there is stiff competition. The new speeds bump the lower tier service to 10 Mbit/s Downstream/2 Mbit/s Up for the same $39.95/month, and the second tier to 20 Mbit/s Downstream/5 Mbit/s Up for $44.95/month. BroadbandReports–Fios Speeds Increased . (URL accessed 1 May 2006). Television (FiOS TV) Verizon is currently building a fiber-optic television service, and plans to make it available to several suburban areas in the near future. However, they first must receive Legal permission (in the form of a franchise agreement), and must fight the pressure that local cable companies place on local governments to block Verizon's television service. On September 22 , 2005 , Verizon began taking orders for FiOS TV in Keller, Texas and in Herndon, Virginia on November 21, 2005 {Link without Title} . Service Tiers Include:
All service tiers beyond basic require a digital Set-top Box to receive the television signal and decode for display on the television set Telephone Verizon also offers plain-old analog telephone service ( POTS ) over FiOS. The common model optical network terminal has 4 analog phone jacks. For residential installations, Verizon generally requires any existing analog phone lines to be "cut over" to FiOS. PLEASE NOTE: This is a one and done situation. You can never again go back to DSL service as the copper line is made inactive and in some cases, removed. Verizon has a good reason to be doing this. The install costs them over $500 per home and they do not want to make the investment twice. While FiOS phone service offers excellent audio quality vs standard copper phone lines, customers should be aware that power outages may affect service availability. Unlike standard phone lines, the FiOS service depends on power at the customer premises. The FiOS backup battery will power the phone lines for 4-8 hours (reports vary). 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. However while running on the backup battery, the video stream and internet stream are disabled to conserve power for emergency dial tone use. TECHNOLOGY Verizon is constructing a Passive Optical Network . Optical Fiber extends from Central Office s to unpowered hubs, in which the fiber is optically split up to 32-way. The active components adhere to the ITU-T G.983 standard, also known as APON or BPON , which provides:
One model optical network terminal (ONT) being deployed by Verizon is the Tellabs 1600 series ONT [http://www.tellabs.com/products/1000/tellabs1600.shtml]. This terminal provides up to 4 provisionable voice telephone ports, a 10/100 Ethernet interface for data traffic, and 1 coaxial connector for CATV services. This terminal is manufactured by Tellabs, Inc. [http://www.tellabs.com] SERVICE AREAS California Currently available citywide
Available in some parts of these cities
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Odessa, FL added -- April 2006 November 2005. Television expected June 2006.
the FIOS area map for florida is avalable at http://www.cellularaddict.com/fios/FloridaTampaBay2.jpg Indiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Some areas of Long Island , including Massapequa and Huntington.
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island In February 2006, Verizon applied for a cable television franchise to serve one of nine service areas in Rhode Island. The regulatory process is expected to take several months. Source: http://www.backchannelmedia.com/newsletter/story/8933093064/Verizon_Seeks_Cable_License.html
Texas Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex
Virginia Northern Virginia
Central Virginia
Hampton Roads
Washington Western Washington
NOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
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