Verizon Invested More Than Half a Billion Dollars in Pennsylvania's Wireline Communications, IT Infrastructure in 2011

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Annually one of the largest investors in the Keystone State's economy and infrastructure, Verizon continued to bring communications and computing innovation to the state's consumers and businesses in 2011.  The company last year invested more than $512 million in its wireline communications network and IT infrastructure throughout the state. 

"A strong and vibrant Verizon is crucial to the economic well-being of Pennsylvania and its residents," said Tim Smith, Verizon region president of consumer and mass business for Pennsylvania/Delaware.  "Our advanced networks enable commerce to thrive, businesses to open new markets, students to learn and parents to stay in touch with their children."

"No other company is as interwoven with daily life in Pennsylvania as Verizon is.  And no other company invests in Pennsylvania like Verizon, providing an engine for economic growth through our aggressive wireline network and IT deployment," Smith said.  "Our significant infrastructure investment is removing traditional technological boundaries, empowering people and businesses to connect however, whenever and wherever they want.  This borderless lifestyle brings great benefits to our customers, employees, suppliers and communities."

Verizon Furthers Home Monitoring, Multiscreen Entertainment

Verizon's major wireline infrastructure programs last year included:

• Continued deployment of the company's award-winning, 100 percent fiber-optic FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services, making them available to more than 1.5 million homes and businesses at year's end.
• Enhancements that further differentiated FiOS services from the competition.  Provided over an all-fiber infrastructure that is much more resilient than other wireline networks, the next-generation FiOS TV is built upon a long series of innovations, including a robust Interactive Media Guide that provides an in-depth, interactive TV experience; Flex View and FiOS TV Online, which extend FiOS TV beyond the home to the Internet and a range of mobile devices; free interactive applications including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Yelp, HSN Shop By Remote, TMZ and others; Media Manager, which allows customers to access on their TVs personal photos, music and videos from their computers; and In-Home Agent, which frees customers to use simple online tools to diagnose and resolve a range of service issues.  In 2011, Verizon:
  • Launched Home Monitoring & Control, which provides customers with remote access, control and monitoring of doors, thermostat controls, appliances and home-energy use.
  • Rolled out MY FiOS, an easy-to-use mobile application that gives customers access to a variety of other applications including Home Monitoring & Control, as well as movies, TV shows and personal content; remote DVR access and control; and billing, account management and customer service tools.
  • Enabled customers who are Xbox LIVE Gold members and who subscribe to both FiOS TV and Internet service to view select live channels through their Xbox consoles through a collaboration with Microsoft. 
  • Upgraded its Interactive Media Guide, with applications for advanced/intuitive search, social networking, Internet video, personal media streaming, high-definition music, remote DVR controls, account management and billing functions, multi-screen/mobile viewing and much more.
• Continued implementation of the company's copper infrastructure investment program, which included key upgrades to copper-based facilities and at central office locations across Pennsylvania to enhance the overall reliability and dependability of the network.
• Accelerated deployment of fiber-optic links to wireless carriers' cell sites throughout Pennsylvania as these carriers expand their infrastructure to meet ever-growing demand for wireless broadband and advanced 4G services.  In 2011, Verizon deployed fiber optics to connect more than 1,100 of these sites in the state. 

Verizon Enterprise Solutions Goes to the Cloud and Beyond

Verizon Enterprise Solutions oversees all of Verizon's solutions for business and government customers, including its portfolio of enterprise mobility, cloud and IT, strategic networking and advanced communications offerings; specialized solutions for key industries such as health care, travel and transportation, retail, utilities and financial services; IT consulting services; and the company's full range of global wholesale offerings.

In 2011, the unit launched the Verizon Fraud Management for Healthcare, an advanced-software platform that is tailored to the health care industry and uses predictive modeling technology to examine health care payment requests and route potentially fraudulent claims to case managers for investigation.  In addition, Verizon Enterprise Solutions continued to implement its "everything-as-a-service" strategy with the acquisition of Terremark, a leading provider of cloud computing solutions.  Security offerings and a host of industry-specific innovations were also launched.

Verizon Foundation Invests in Pennsylvania's Future

Verizon's investment in Pennsylvania goes beyond networks, communications and IT equipment.  In 2011, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $3.3 million to Pennsylvania nonprofit groups that focused on advancing health care, domestic violence prevention, education and sustainability.   In addition to the grants, Verizon employees volunteered nearly 48,000 hours to nonprofit groups throughout the commonwealth last year.  The Verizon Foundation supports employee volunteerism by awarding a $750 grant to a nonprofit organization when a Verizon employee volunteers 50 hours or more to the organization during the year.  (For more information, see related news release.)

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with nearly 109 million total connections nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 194,000.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.  

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SOURCE Verizon