Fast Verizon FiOS Internet Gives Gift of Speed to Make it Easier for Consumers to Stay in Touch and Get the Most From Holiday Electronic Gifts

NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Tis the season for new laptop computers, gaming consoles, online video conferencing and streaming video of a partridge in a pear tree.

Verizon's FiOS Internet makes these and other holiday gifts of electronic gadgets more rewarding by providing the upstream speeds consumers want for uploading photos and video to social media sites or online sharing services, video conferencing with grandparents in other states, or taking on all comers in a multi-player online gaming marathon during the school break.

Verizon offers its fastest upstream speed of 35 Mbps (megabits per second) as part of a bundle of  35/35 Mbps symmetrical Internet, FiOS Ultimate HD TV plan and FiOS Digital Voice, as well as a stand-alone service of 150/35 Mbps Ultimate FiOS Internet. With upstream speeds up to 35 Mbps, FiOS easily outpaces cable's mostly single-digit upstream speed offerings, and ensures that consumers won't get frustrated by slowdowns during peak usage times or usage caps often associated with some cable services.  

Consider:

• Having to watch a family's home videos can try the patience of a holiday visitor.  But more and more families are choosing to share their memories through online video-sharing sites that friends and families can visit when the spirit moves them.  With FiOS' 35 Mbps upstream speed, users can upload a 1.2 gigabyte HD home video in less than five minutes.*  With a 1.5 Mbps upstream cable connection,  it would take nearly two hours to upload the same video.
• Receiving a new laptop as a holiday gift can serve as a reminder that it's time to copy those irreplaceable home-computer files to an online backup service.  With a 35 Mbps FiOS upstream connection, that task can be accomplished in an afternoon.*  By contrast, it could take several days to backup a 100 gigabyte hard drive, under optimum conditions, when using a 1.5 Mbps cable upstream Internet connection.  
• Video conferencing has come a long way in recent years, with more companies offering consumer video-conferencing services.  Families are now using these services and equipment to keep in touch over the Internet with far-flung friends and family.  Grandparents in Florida can participate via video conferencing in their grandchildren's holiday celebration in Massachusetts.  Some consumers are even connecting their computers and broadband to their big-screen TVs to enhance the video connections.  Faster upstream and downstream speeds enhance the live video connections and make the experience more rewarding.
• Multiple holiday gifts of personal computers and laptops, online gaming consoles and other devices uploading files or streaming Internet music and videos will need a robust home network, especially if the devices are running simultaneously.  As the network with reliably fast speeds both upstream and downstream, FiOS supports home networking for bandwidth-gobbling devices, today and in the future.
• The connected and future-proof home will need to accommodate large video screens doubling as video-conferencing theaters; heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems tied to PC-managed control hubs; and HD and 3D entertainment systems drawing on Internet-based program providers.  In fact, many of the features of the connected home are already being trialed or deployed today.  But such a centralized home-systems-management platform will require the vast bandwidth available today over the country's only large-scale fiber-to-the-home network – FiOS.  By comparison, many cable companies are already hard pressed to provide the necessary bandwidth for expanding HD program demands, on-demand HD video offerings and upstream requirements for evolving online activities.

"As 2010 draws to a close, FiOS continues to set the pace on Internet speeds," said Eric Bruno, Verizon vice president of product development.  "With last month's launch of a 150 Mbps downstream and 35 Mbps upstream Internet service, Verizon FiOS now offers unmatched speeds to the mass consumer market.  Meanwhile, our network engineers continue to raise the bar on future Internet speeds, with successful field trials of mega-gigabit-per-second connections over the FiOS network.

"The new year holds a promise of more bandwidth-intensive innovations for the online world, and the primary question Internet users need to ask themselves is will they have the speed they need," Bruno said.

* Upload and download time estimates based on maximum connection speeds. Actual throughput speeds will vary.

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 mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 93 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon