Verizon Invested More Than $525 Million in 2012 on Wireline Communications, IT Infrastructure in Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to meet the growing broadband, communications and information needs of Pennsylvania consumers and businesses, Verizon invested more than $525 million in its Pennsylvania wireline networks and information technology infrastructure in 2012. 

"The economic health of Pennsylvania goes hand-in-hand with modern communications networks, and Verizon's significant infrastructure investments provide a platform for innovation and growth," said Tim Smith, Verizon region president of consumer and mass business for Pennsylvania/Delaware.  "Advanced networks spur technological progress, commerce, business development, learning and communication at an accelerated pace.

"Our infrastructure investment breaks down traditional technological boundaries, empowering people and businesses here to connect however, whenever and wherever they want.  This creates opportunities that are borderless and that bring great benefits to our customers, employees, suppliers and communities," said Smith.

More than half of U.S. consumers say Internet service is their home's most important convenience, according to the Verizon FiOS Innovation Index – a series of consumer research surveys.  More than 50 percent of all survey respondents also indicated an interest in remote health monitoring and virtual medical visits, which are enabled by ultra-high-speed networks and innovative applications.

"Whether it's taking an online class on your laptop, watching TV on your tablet, or monitoring blood pressure online, our networks are removing technological boundaries and giving consumers and businesses the reliability and the anytime, anywhere access to the communications services they need," said Smith.

Innovation That Creates Consumer Choice, Delivers Rich Customer Experiences

Verizon's major wireline infrastructure programs in 2012 included:

• Continued deployment of the company's award-winning, 100 percent fiber-optic FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services.  At year's end, FiOS services were available to more than 1.7 million Pennsylvania homes and businesses.
• The introduction of breakthrough speeds with FiOS Quantum Internet for consumers and small businesses, featuring download/upload speeds of 50/25, 75/35, 150/65 and 300/65 megabits per second (Mbps).  The two highest downstream speed offers – 150 and 300 Mbps – and the new 65 Mbps upstream speed are some of the nation's fastest mass-scale Internet speeds available.  (This FiOS Internet speed grid shows specific examples of the benefits of faster downstream and upstream speeds.)
• Continued FiOS innovation:
  • FiOS TV anytime, anywhere, on a variety of devices, including Flex View and FiOS TV Online, to which Verizon added 12 new brands, representing more than 50 channels, including Showtime, FOX, VH1, NFL Network and NFL RedZone.
  • TV beyond the set-top box, featuring 75 live, linear channels delivered via Xbox, iPad and an array of Samsung and LG smart TVs and Blu-ray players.
  • Content enhancement by adding 28 new channels, such as BBC HD and Cartoon Network HD; more than 17,000 video-on-demand titles, including free VOD from NBA TV; and a significant expansion to Verizon's free on-demand offerings from TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network and Showtime.  FiOS TV now offers more than 50,000 VOD titles each month.
• Investing in superior customer experiences: More than 200,000 Verizon customers nationwide who had repeat repair calls on their landline phone service moved their service from Verizon's copper network to the company's all-fiber infrastructure, which is less susceptible than copper to moisture and water damage and offers a better service experience.
• Continued deployment of fiber-optic links to wireless providers' cell sites throughout Pennsylvania as these carriers expand their infrastructure to meet ever-growing demand for wireless broadband and advanced 4G services.  In 2012, Verizon deployed fiber optics to connect 498 of these sites in the state. 

Next-Generation Business Solutions Delivered Today

Verizon Enterprise Solutions oversees all of Verizon's solutions for large business and government customers in Pennsylvania and globally, including a portfolio of cloud and IT, enterprise mobility, security and advanced communications offerings.  It also offers specialized solutions for key industries such as health care, retail, energy and utilities, and financial services.  In addition, Verizon Enterprise Solutions includes the company's full range of global wholesale offerings.

In 2012, Verizon acquired Hughes Telematics to further the company's delivery of advanced automotive fleet telematics and machine-to-machine (M2M) services.  This acquisition is enabling Verizon to accelerate new industry-specific solutions to the health care, automotive and transportation sectors.

The company also delivered new Terremark cloud services to enterprise customers, including private and hybrid cloud solutions that offer enterprise clients more flexibility, security and seamlessness in their cloud deployments.  Verizon also expanded its cloud-enabled data centers in Dallas; Denver; Bogota, Colombia; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and London. 

In Latin America, Verizon launched a comprehensive portfolio of managed and professional security services aimed at helping enterprises and government agencies to better manage and protect their data. 

In addition, Verizon enhanced its enterprise video capabilities by deploying an "Open Video" platform, where enterprises can conduct secure, high-quality video meetings across private and public networks on multiple video platforms – including telepresence and video conferencing – on desktops and tablets.  This innovative solution makes it possible to link video systems that were previously incompatible. 

The financial industry benefitted from Verizon's introduction of a service that enables companies in New York and Chicago to execute trades, securely and reliably, at some of the fastest possible speeds available today.  This service reduces latency – the time it takes for data sent from its entry point in the network to reach its destination.

Providing a secure platform for conducting business, the company's multiprotocol label switching-based (MPLS) private IP network expanded into six additional African countries, as well as Bahrain and Qatar in the Middle East.  The expansion will make it possible for Verizon clients with locations in these emerging markets to more effectively exchange data and run global business applications. 

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 98 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, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with nearly $116 billion in 2012 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 183,400.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.  

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SOURCE Verizon