Jan 8 2008
Verizon technicians are upgrading FiOS with next-generation electronics to dramatically enhance the speeds, and thus the capabilities, of Verizon's all-fiber-optic FiOS broadband, video and voice network.
Known as gigabit passive optical network (G-PON) equipment, the new electronics can increase the line-rate bandwidth on the Verizon fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network by four times downstream to the customer and eight times upstream back to the network. This provides the capability for future enhancements to Verizon's industry-leading FiOS Internet and FiOS TV products as new applications are developed and as customers demand more bandwidth.
Mark Wegleitner, Verizon Telecom's senior vice president-technology, said Verizon has already started to deploy G-PON broadly across the company's FiOS system. The new equipment is being used in communities where Verizon is building FTTP for the first time. "Already, our all-fiber network is proving that it can deliver faster Internet speeds," Wegleitner said. "G-PON electronics position us for the next level of even faster Internet speeds and even more interactive FiOS TV with new features.
"The G-PON deployment also illustrates the future-proof aspects of FiOS: We can use the same fiber network we use today but enhance the speed and capacity with new electronics in our central offices and at the customer premises."
The states where Verizon began initial deployment of G-PON are: California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Texas.
Today's announcement builds upon the initial announcement made at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference & Exposition and the National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference in March 2007, and follows the successful initial field deployments of G-PON in Kirklyn, Pa.; Lewisville, Texas; and Hingham, Mass. Thus far, Verizon has been deploying B-PON (broadband passive optical network) technology to provide market-leading Internet access performance.
"Both B-PON and now G-PON give us all the headroom we need to continue evolving our products to meet growing customer demand for more bandwidth, both downstream and upstream," Wegleitner said. "However, moving to technologies like G-PON helps ensure that we stay ahead of the competition."
Delivered over Verizon's all-fiber network, FiOS TV is a formidable competitor to cable and satellite TV. FiOS TV on Verizon's FTTP network delivers amazingly sharp pictures and sound, and has the capacity to transmit a wide array of high-definition programming that is so clear and intense it seems to leap from the TV screen. The company's fiber network also delivers Internet download speeds today of up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) today and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps, as well as high-quality voice service.
Verizon is building its FTTP network in 16 states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington. FiOS Internet is available in all 16 states, and FiOS TV is available in 13: California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Oregon.
Verizon is the only major telecom company building a fiber-optic network all the way to customer's homes on a mass scale.