Items tagged with FiOS
If Google Fiber’s stalled rollout has got you down, Verizon has a new high-speed service offering available that could help boost your spirits — that is if you actually live in a Fios coverage area. Verizon today announced Fios Gigabit Connection, which despite what its name implies, doesn’t actually provide gigabit speeds — but it does get pretty close. Fios Gigabit Connection provides download speeds of up to 940 Mbps and upload speeds that top out at an equally impressive 880 Mbps. Both of those figures are within striking distance of Google Fiber’s symmetrical 1 Gbps speeds. On the all-important pricing front, Verizon is driving a hard bargain, putting the service at $69.99 per month, matching...
Read more...
In what's being described as a "game changer for the city of Boston," Verizon has agreed to lay some 800 miles of fiber optic cables for its high-speed FiOS service in Beantown. Once complete, the great people of Boston can expect faster downloads and lower prices due to the increased competition in the area. Verizon's decision to lay the groundwork for its FiOS service in Boston comes as quite a surprise after the company previously said it wouldn't happen. However, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft helped change Big Red's mind by having sit-downs over lunch with Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam. Kraft got the two bigwigs to eat together on two occasions last...
Read more...
If you have FiOS service from Verizon, things just got a bit more interesting when it comes to your DVR content. Customers that have both Quantum TV and FiOS Internet service will have the capability to watch all of their received content outside of their home (as long as you have an active Internet connection). This is made possible thanks to recent updates to the FiOS Mobile App for Android and iOS. Verizon says that “nearly all” of your DVR content is available to stream outside the home, so we don’t know exactly in what circumstances that the company would forbid you you accessing certain reordered content. "The latest innovations of the FiOS Mobile app are how today's consumers want to watch...
Read more...
If you’re going to make grandiose promises on product rollouts, you had better follow through with them. Nobody likes paper launches and grandstanding, so it’s always nice when such actors get put in their place. Such is the case with Verizon, which promised in 2008 that it would make its FiOS network available to all households in the five New York City boroughs by June 30, 2014. Needless to say, Verizon failed to live up to its promises, and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is here to bust the company’s chops. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office delivered a blistering report outlining an audit of Verizon’s FiOS rollout, and needless to say, the telecom giant should be embarrassed by the results. Even though...
Read more...
Well, that didn’t take long. Two weeks ago, word spread out that Verizon was ready to push new Custom TV FioS bundles that would allow customers to pick and choose what channels they wanted to pay for on a monthly basis. Customers are able to choose a basic package of channels, and then select from at least two of seven additional themed packages (i.e. Culture, Entertainment, Sports, etc.). So if you have no interest in sports at all, you wouldn’t have to purchase the Sports package. Needless to say, ESPN wasn’t too thrilled about this arrangement and quickly made its objections known. ESPN wants its cash no matter what, with The Wall Street Journal writing a week ago, “Verizon does not have...
Read more...
Cord-cutting TV viewers have been worrying major providers for years. Now, with HBO committing to the subscription model and Netflix adding 4.9 million subscribers in a single quarter, the pressure is on for major providers to split up their beloved bundles. Soon, Verizon’s FiOS will do just that. Verizon plans to create a small bundles on April 19, according to the Wall Street Journal. The smaller bundle will go for $55 per month and will include ABC, AMC, Food Network, Fox, and other channels. If you want additional channels, you can add them by buying channel packs for $10 extra per month. Image credit: VerizonThe result is an interesting compromise: Verizon keeps its channel bundles, but...
Read more...
Those who place a high value on in-home Internet have long envied the portion of the United States population within a Verizon FiOS footprint. While the fiber-based service stopped expanding to new areas years back, Verizon has continued to push its existing areas to new heights. Now, it's doing so once again, and we're certainly hopeful that it triggers a cascade of followers throughout the ISP industry -- but, of course, we aren't holding our breath. In order to better compete with cable companies that are boosting Internet speeds, Verizon has announced plans to offer symmetrical connections. In other words, uploads will match downloads. This is a watershed moment for U.S.-based home Internet...
Read more...
The ongoing battle between Netflix and ISPs that can't seem to handle the streaming video service's traffic boiled over to an infuriating level for Colin Nederkoon, a startup CEO who resides in New York City. Rather than accept excuses and finger pointing from either side, Nederkoon did a little investigating into why he was receiving such slow Netflix streams on his Verizon FiOS connection, and what he discovered is that there appears to be a clear culprit. Nederkoon pays for Internet service that promises 75Mbps downstream and 35Mbps upstream through his FiOS connection. However, his Netflix video streams were limping along at just 375kbps (0.375mbps), equivalent to 0.5 percent of the speed...
Read more...
Intel Media VP Erik Huggers had dreams of making a big impact on the TV market (or at least get a foot in the door) with a special unit of the company called OnCue, but it was not to be. Word emerged back in October that Intel may have a deal in the works with Verizon, and according to the Washington Post’s sources, that deal may be imminent. The final details should be nailed down within days, and an announcement could come as early as this week. Recent reports indicated that Intel was seeking $500 million for the OnCue service. With OnCue’s assets, Verizon will look to expand its FiOS TV offerings, which could help the mobile carrier further challenge entrenched pay TV providers....
Read more...
We've all seen the reports that show the U.S. lagging behind quite a few other nations in terms of national average broadband speed (we're looking at you, South Korea), but the FCC now has a report out that details the best and the brightest available to American citizens. Of course, most people aren't able to look at a report, weigh their options, and then choose an ISP. Most times, only one or two ISPs are available in a given area, so we're stuck with a take-it-or-leave-it scenario. But for those lucky enough to have those options, the results from the 2013 Measuring Broadband America are certainly worth paying attention to. The program has been ongoing since the middle of 2011, and it's described...
Read more...
Live in a FiOS town? Before we proceed further, consider yourself highly enviable. Now, you might also find yourself soon yearning for an LG Smart TV. Why? Because FiOS TV customers will soon be able to stream content directly into those sets. LG's Smart TV platform has just become the first in the industry to allow FiOS TV customers to enjoy 75 broadcast channels, serving as a set-top box alternative within the home. The new premium application on LG's 2012 Smart TVs and Blu-ray Disc players also delivers Verizon FiOS' on-demand content service, "Flex View." In other words, those with an applicable TV wouldn't even need a set-top box to enjoy FiOS TV. Verizon customers who subscribe to both...
Read more...
Verizon's FiOS fiber network won't ever be as large as we would've liked, but if you're in one of the lucky states that has access, there's great news to be shared. Well, if you're also an iPad owner. The updated version of Verizon's FiOS mobile app now includes a feature that was seemingly slated for launch, but was scraped somewhere along the way: live TV streaming, directly to the tablet. Those who subscribe to FiOS' pay-TV service can now stream 75 channels right to their iPad, so long as you're connected to your home Wi-Fi access point. That means you won't be able to stream it over 3G while on a vacation in Europe (or even down the street), but you've got to start somewhere, right? The...
Read more...
Rarely do we hear the words "insane" and "internet" in the same headline, but that's what happening this evening. Verizon has just introduced "insane" new Internet speeds in FiOS service areas, and honestly, they're hard to read if you aren't in one of those locales. Verizon residential consumers can now order the company's fastest-ever FiOS Internet service, and while you'll find a host of double-play and triple-play bundles, stand-alone high-speed services are available, too. The new FiOS Internet tiers containing the highest speeds are named FiOS Quantum and feature upload/download speeds of 50/25, 75/35, 150/65 and 300/65 megabits per second (Mbps). Three of those speeds -- 75/35, 150/65...
Read more...
In a FiOS area? Good for you. If you aren't, well, you'll have something else to cry about. Verizon's heralded FiOS fiber network is loved by those that have it, but only a handful of states and neighborhoods have access. Today, Verizon has "responded to consumer demand for ultra-high-speed home broadband service," and it has announced that next month will be the month where speeds on FiOS Internet will double on several tiers. Moreover, two new tiers with even faster speeds will surface. The new FiOS Internet portfolio will feature download/upload speed tiers of 50/25 and 150/65 megabits per second (Mbps), as well as two new tiers of 75/35 and 300/65 Mbps. The latter speed is double that...
Read more...
