Jim Plumb

From dslreports.com

New Video Service Harnesses the Speed and Capacity of Broadband
With the Power of Broadcast to Offer Consumer Choice in TV

KELLER, Texas, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ — The future of television arrived today in a blaze of fiber-optic light, as Verizon unveiled Verizon FiOS TV to residents of this city 30 miles west of Dallas. Verizon will begin taking customer orders for FiOS TV today in Keller, and make it available in communities across Verizon’s footprint in the future.

“This is not cable TV. This is not satellite. This is FiOS TV,” said Bob
Ingalls, president of Verizon’s Retail Markets Group. “Customers who liked
what FiOS did for their Internet connection will love what it does for their
TV. We’ve harnessed the speed and capacity of broadband with the power of
broadcast to create a revolutionary, new entertainment experience.”
FiOS TV is designed to compete with cable and satellite and win. It is
delivered over Verizon’s fiber-to-the-premises network, which has industry-
leading quality and reliability. Fiber 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.

Verizon’s network design includes backup facilities not common to traditional
cable systems, such as duplicate “head ends” where the TV service receives
national programming.

Service highlights include:

* A broad collection of all-digital programming and compelling consumer
choice - with more than 330 total channels at launch and more on the way.

* A lead offer with more than 180 digital video and music channels, for $39.95 a month.

* More than 20 high-definition channels, with extraordinary clarity and theater-quality sound.

* Nearly 600 video-on-demand titles available to customers now, with 1,800 by year-end.

* A wide range of local and special-interest channels not found on most cable and satellite systems.

* Channels grouped by genres such as entertainment, sports, news, shopping, movies and family, making it easy for audiences to find their favorite programming.

* An easy-to-use interactive programming guide that integrates HD programming, video-on-demand and the digital video recorder along with broadcast television into a seamless user experience.

Verizon has secured the necessary programming rights to launch its FiOS TV service in Keller today.

Verizon provides FiOS TV over the largest fiber-to-the-premises network in
the country, delivering the power and capacity of fiber optics directly into
people’s homes. A year ago, the company launched FiOS Internet Service in
Keller, where today about 30 percent of eligible households have purchased the
high-speed service. (More information about FiOS TV and fiber optics is
available in Verizon’s online News Center at »www.verizon.com/news.)
With today’s announcement, Verizon concludes its successful trial of FiOS
TV with employees and Keller residents. Following the service rollout in
Keller, Verizon will offer FiOS TV to additional households in Wylie, Sachse
and Westlake, Texas, later this year. Those cities negotiated video
franchises prior to the enactment of the state’s new franchise law. Verizon
will then expand FiOS TV to cities in Florida, Virginia and California, where
it has already obtained video franchises. In addition to Wylie, Sachse and
Westlake, Verizon is planning FiOS TV deployment in other Texas communities,
and it will offer the service in additional markets as it gets government
approval to do so.

“FiOS TV will connect with customers because it offers them choice, value
and simplicity,” Ingalls said. “We have a great offer today, but it will get
even better as we add programming and interactive services. Our employees and
customers helped us improve the service during trials this summer, and we’ll
continue to upgrade based on what we learn from our customers.”
FiOS TV subscribers will enjoy 100 percent digital programming, as well as
access to a large selection of video-on-demand content. Today’s cable
operators typically have to upsell customers from analog to digital-tier
packages to make more sophisticated services like video-on-demand and high-
definition programming available, if they offer those services. To simplify
customer choice, FiOS TV packages and prices will be the same everywhere, with
only the local and community channels varying by market.

FiOS TV subscribers can choose from three simple-to-understand service
offerings, each with built-in choice and value. They can then choose from
packages and premium channels with programming that meets their special
interests. Verizon offers three set-top boxes: standard definition for $3.95
per month; high definition, which includes HD channels, for $9.95 per month;
and a digital video recorder set-top box with HD channels for $12.95 per
month.

The services include:
* Basic, with access to 15-35 local broadcast, weather and community
channels, as well as video-on-demand, for $12.95 per month. The service
is digital with a set-top box. Basic is also available as an analog
service that does not require a set-top box for viewing.

* Expanded Basic, Verizon’s lead offer, delivers more than 180 video and
music channels for $39.95 a month. This tier includes access to 600 on-
demand titles now, with 1,800 by year end. This service requires a
standard-definition set-top box or a high-definition set-top box for HD
channels.

* La Conexion, a tier designed for bilingual consumers who enjoy TV
programs in English and Spanish, for $32.95 per month. The package
includes nearly 140 channels with English- and Spanish-language
programming and access to nearly 600 on-demand titles.
This service requires a standard-definition set-top box or a high-
definition set-top box for HD channels.

Consumers with a passion for sports or movies can add a 15-channel sports
package for $5.95 a month, and a movie package, with 45 channels of Starz,
Encore, Showtime and The Movie Channel, for $11.95 a month. Or, they can buy
both for $14.95 a month. Verizon also will offer 14 HBO channels and 12
Cinemax channels as premium services, with each set of channels available for
$14.95. Subscribers who want both HBO and Cinemax will pay $24.95 per month.
Programming choices for African-American, Asian, Russian and other
multicultural and ethnic audiences will be available in every market. Because
FiOS TV has so much capacity, it will also be an outlet for emerging and
independent networks to showcase their diverse programming.
FiOS TV will also offer thousands of hours of on-demand programming,
including hundreds of titles of free video-on-demand programs across topics
such as sports, news, information and education, home and leisure, family,
children’s shows and movies. Customers can order new movie releases for $3.95
each and selections from a movie library for $2.95 each.

The value of FiOS TV extends to the installation and customer support.
Specially trained Verizon technicians will install the service and acquaint
subscribers with FiOS TV features and services. Verizon is waiving the
installation fee for up to three existing TV outlets, and there is no charge
to install a needed optical network terminal at the subscriber’s home.
Charges for other installation services, such as additional outlets, may
apply. Verizon provides 24×7 technical assistance by phone from its Fiber
Solutions Centers in Dallas and other cities.

With more than $71 billion in annual revenues, Verizon Communications Inc.
(NYSE: VZ) is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services.
Verizon has a diverse work force of more than 214,000 in four business units:
Domestic Telecom provides customers based in 28 states with wireline and other
telecommunications services, including broadband. Verizon Wireless owns and
operates the nation’s most reliable wireless network, serving 47.4 million
voice and data customers across the United States. Information Services
operates directory publishing businesses and provides electronic commerce
services. International includes wireline and wireless operations and
investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information,
visit »www.verizon.com.

VERIZON’S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches
and biographies, media contacts, high quality video and images, and other
information are available at Verizon’s News Center on the World Wide Web at
»www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News
Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

SOURCE Verizon
Web Site: »www.verizon.com
Company News On Call: Company News On-Call:
»www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html

Before I called Verizon tech support I checked around to see if there were any tweaks to help my connection get up to speed. I found on dslreports.com some settings for the 15/2 fios package. You need to get a free tool from Cablenut.com in order to apply the tweak settings to your windows registry. I applied the tweak and my speeds are much better. See below for the new speed test. Hooey! that’s fast.

Next on the agenda is connecting the comcast and fios networks with a dual wan router!

Installation of Verizon FIOS went pretty much without a hitch as most of the infrastructure had already been set up. Today (Friday), the guy ran a line from the Optical Network Terminal, otherwise know as an ONT box, which is outside, to my network area inside the house and plugged it into a D-Link DI-604 4-port broadband router.

He connected his laptop and got things configured and did a speed test at infospeed.verizon.net. He got around 10mbs once and other times got around 6 mbs. The line is rated at 15 mbps upload and 2 mbps download. He called his supervisor about the speed but the guy was in a meeting or something. The tech said this was his first 15 mb install so didn’t have anything to compare it to. I’ve done a few tests myself since then and haven’t been able to get above 7 mbps.

The picture above is a speed test with the best speed. I would think I should be able to get at least 12 from the verizon server. In any case I’ll have to call them tomorrow and see what they can do about the speed. If they can’t increase it, I’ll downgrade my service to the 5 mbps level.

A Verizon installation guy came yesterday to install the basic infrastructure of the FIOS system. Here are the details.

He ran a fiber optic cable from the telephone pole to my house. The cable has “Corning Optic” printed on it. It goes to the box pictured above. He says that by the Fall, we should have video access (cable tv) as well. Hope the prices are better than what I’m paying Comcast: their prices seem to go up a couple of times a year and who needs that!

In the garage, he installed the power supply and a battery backup. It looks like the clients are responsible for powering the fiber. Full installation will be complete tomorrow. Can’t wait to see the download speeds.

I’d read a bit about Verizon FIOS a couple of months ago and tried to sign up for it, but it wasn’t available in my town, although my town (Hopkinton) was one of those listed in Massachusetts to get it. A Verizon rep told me they’d send out a mailing when it was ready.

I received a Western Union Mailgram yesterday, informing me that Verizon FIOS is available in my town! I signed up for installation today and should be getting it next Friday, April 15.

They offer three levels of service: 5 mbps/2 mbps dl/ul for $34.95 per month, 15 mbps/2mbps for $49.95/month and 30 mbps/5mbps for 179.95/month. Along with that you get free install, a 4 port router, MSN with 9 email accounts. I signed up for the 15 mb range and will be using it in my home office. I’ve been leaching off my home service, which is comcast. This is residential service, therefore uses dynamic IP. Once Business FIOS comes out, I’ll probably upgrade to that as you get 5 static IP addresses included and I want to setup a web server in my office.