Verizon Invested More Than $400 Million in Massachusetts' Wireline Telecommunications Infrastructure in 2013

BOSTON, March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Massachusetts consumers, businesses and government agencies continued to benefit from Verizon's 2013 investment of more than $400 million including the additional construction of new fiber optics, now reaching more than 18,000 miles in the Bay State, enough to go more than halfway around the world.

And there is much more to come as Verizon continues to invest heavily in Massachusetts, building the world's most technologically advanced network of voice, data and video communications that will help continue to grow the economy in the Bay State.

"Verizon's investment in Massachusetts in recent years has been unprecedented," said Allison G. Cole, Verizon's New England region president of consumer and mass markets. "In the past five years our company has invested more than $2 billion in Massachusetts. No company has done more. Massachusetts is a leader in technology, education and healthcare, and the new state-of-the-art Verizon wireless and fiber-optic networks play a huge role in that.

"The technology sector continues to be an engine that is driving the Massachusetts economy, and it relies heavily upon advanced communications networks like Verizon's 4G LTE and fiber optic networks to spur economic development in Massachusetts," said Cole.

Last year, Verizon invested approximately $412 million in Massachusetts and deployed more fiber-optic cables and equipment, now totaling more than 18,000 miles. Major initiatives in 2013 in Massachusetts included:

• Expansion of Verizon's award-winning 100 percent FiOS voice, Internet and TV services to two more communities -- Medford and Raynham -- bringing competition and cable choice to residents and businesses in those communities. FiOS voice, Internet and TV services are now available to more than 1 million Massachusetts homes and businesses in 113 cities and towns.
• Installed 3,120 solar panels at its data center at 41 Alexander Rd. in Billerica. The panels cover about two acres of land and will save about 1.5 million kilowatt hours annually. The energy conservation project removes about 1,025 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year. That's equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of 214 cars annually. The project will save Verizon about $175,000 in energy costs annually.
• Improved phone service for thousands of Massachusetts residential and small-business customers who had repeat repair issues by upgrading their service from copper to the company's advanced, all-fiber infrastructure. Nationwide, Verizon now serves more landline customers on its all-fiber infrastructure than on its legacy copper network. Fiber is less susceptible than copper to moisture and water damage and offers a better overall service experience.

"Verizon's advanced networks enable commerce to thrive, businesses to open new markets, students to learn and parents to stay in touch with their children," said Cole. "Our new networks have removed 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."

Consumers, Small Businesses Take Quantum Leap for Innovative Services

Verizon's major wireline infrastructure programs in 2013 also included:

• Enhancing the FiOS Bandwidth Effect, which enables consumers and small businesses to harness huge amounts of broadband.
  • FiOS Quantum, with speeds up to 500 Mbps down and 100 Mbps up, is America's fastest Internet. Other Quantum speeds include 300/65 Mbps, 150/65 Mbps, 75/35 Mbps and 50/25 Mbps. All Quantum tiers offer upload speeds that rival or exceed most download speeds offered by competitors.
  • The ultra-fast speed delivers technology that gives people the best way to stream videos, conduct video chats and use multiple Internet devices simultaneously, among other bandwidth-intensive applications.
  • Multi-player gaming advantages, with tremendous speed versus competitors.

• Delivering FiOS TV anytime, anywhere on a variety of devices:
  • The FiOS Mobile App allows customers to manage their Verizon account and their life – wherever they are – on a variety of Internet-connected devices. Best of all, they can watch up to 31 channels outside the home and 91 channels inside the home, depending upon their TV package.
  • FiOS TV Online, offering 71 channels over a broadband-connected PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
  • Advanced, interactive search and navigational experience.
  • Multi-Room DVR.
  • Advanced, interactive TV Apps.
  • Industry-leading 70,000-plus FiOS On Demand video titles customers can rent or own, plus premium on-demand content packages with sports, movie and international programming.

• Comprehensive choice including month-to-month plans and multiyear bundles.
• In-Home Agent application for automated self-service.
• Advanced, FiOS Digital Voice home phone service.

Enterprise Business Solutions Tailored to Meet Client Needs

Verizon Enterprise Solutions oversees all of Verizon's solutions for large-business, wholesale and government customers in Massachusetts and globally, including a portfolio of cloud and IT, enterprise mobility, security and advanced communications offerings. Its key client segments include healthcare, manufacturing and automotive, financial services and large government agencies. In 2013, Verizon:

• Acquired EdgeCast and the assets of upLynk to further the company's delivery of media and entertainment services. These acquisitions enable Verizon to enhance delivery of end-to-end video solutions for best-in-class TV Everywhere and superior experiences to customers such as studios, broadcasters, retailers and enterprises that seek high-performance digital experiences across all devices.
• Announced its next-generation public cloud platform, Verizon Cloud. Verizon Cloud offers large enterprises, mid-size companies and small development shops the agility and economic benefit of a generic public cloud along with the reliability and scale of an enterprise-level service with unprecedented control of performance and security. Verizon Cloud is currently in beta.
• Launched Converged Health Management, a remote patient-monitoring medical platform designed to help clinicians and patients manage patients' health in between doctor visits. Verizon's newest solution addresses the day-to-day communications gap that has historically existed between patients and clinicians.
• Introduced Managed Wireless ATM, a fully managed, wireless automated teller machine solution that banks can deploy to their remote ATMs, at events or for business continuity planning.
• Rolled out "In Drive" service in conjunction with insurance companies. In Drive, developed by Verizon Telematics, offers drivers an opportunity to save money on auto insurance, based on their driving habits.

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 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 176,800. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts and other information are available at Verizon's online News Center at newscenter.verizon.com. The news releases are available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit newscenter.verizon.com/corporate/feeds.

SOURCE Verizon