Super-fast Internet Service Helping to Speed Innovation and Opportunity to Harlem

NEW YORK, June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As Verizon continues to roll out its revolutionary FiOS services throughout New York City, the company has provided, at no charge, its 300 Mbps FiOS Quantum Internet service to My Image Studios, a community-based entertainment complex in Harlem.

The service was announced at a launch event last night (June 25) at My Image Studios, also known as MIST, located at 46 W. 116th St.  Silicon Harlem, a partner company of MIST, used the super-fast Internet service to stream the Google I/O conference from San Francisco. The company and MIST plan to upgrade the speed to 500 Mbps in the future.

MIST offers three flexible studios, the most versatile and technologically sophisticated entertainment and hospitality space in New York City. The studios have been designed to accommodate film screening of independent and Hollywood studio productions; live performance of music, spoken word, and dance; corporate and community meetings; and production of original content for webcast; streaming or broadcast.

MIST, in partnership with Silicon Harlem, also is expanding its capabilities to include a shared workspace that will accommodate startups and new businesses that will specialize in ventures such as video development, 3D printing and other high-tech services.

"This is a perfect fit and use of our highest tiers of broadband services," said Angie Klein, Verizon vice president of marketing for the company's Northeast region. "In addition to streaming videos throughout its facilities, MIST will use FiOS Internet to help stimulate small-business and employment growth in Harlem. It's a great use of the service, and we're happy to provide it at no charge for six months to help accelerate business growth in the area."

(NOTE: To watch or embed a video that explains the nation's most ambitious deployment of fiber optics taking place in New York City, visit http://shar.es/MtCPm.)

In addition to the MIST planned workspace initiative, Silicon Harlem also will utilize the 300 Mbps service at a renovated firehouse at 120 E, 125^th St. that will act as the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute and Museum. The FiOS Internet service will enable the museum to conduct "augmented reality" tours of El Barrio and other Harlem-related features.  In addition, the service will be used by Silicon Harlem as it opens a series of an innovation and data centers at key locations around Harlem.

Harlem Fast Becoming a Fiber-Powered Innovation Hub

"Harlem is fast becoming the next high-tech district in the city," said Clayton Banks, co-executive producer of Silicon Harlem. "As we expand our suite of services, we are promoting innovation, laboratory experiences and collaboration, and Verizon's FiOS Quantum Internet service will assist in that."

The collaboration with MIST is the second business-building initiative in the Harlem area.  Last year, Verizon provided its FiOS Quantum Internet 300 Mbps service to the Harlem Garage for its use to support the high-tech, high-bandwidth needs of innovative, new companies that take space at its shared workspace facility on 318 W. 118^th St. HarlemGarage, is a MicroOffice company established in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and has a co-working community for 150 small businesses.

Earlier last year, the company partnered with Take the HELM (Hire and Expand in Lower Manhattan), to provide FiOS Quantum Internet service, at no charge for one year, to the winners in the startup category of the competition. Take the HELM is an initiative of the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. 

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 more than 103 million retail 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. A Dow 30 company with more than $120 billion in 2013 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 176,900. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon