Verizon announced plans to build a fiber-optic network that will deliver faster data speeds and crystal-clear voice to residence and business customers here – and also has the capability to offer a full suite of video services in the future.

The communities are: Asbury Park in Monmouth County; Glen Rock, Hillsdale and Oradell in Bergen County; Monroe Township in Middlesex County; East Windsor and Washington Township in Mercer County; Morristown, Morris Plains and Morris Township in Morris County; and Warren and Bernardsville in Somerset County.

Verizon has begun building its FTTP network in 54 other communities in New Jersey.

Verizon’s contractors will notify residents in advance with letters and door-hangers when underground construction is scheduled in their neighborhoods. To lessen inconvenience and reduce the impact on local streets, Verizon and its contractors use the latest installation techniques and existing underground pathways or utility poles, or both, whenever possible. The company will seek franchise agreements before offering cable service in a particular community.

Although the use of fiber optics is common for long-distance and inter-city communications throughout the telecommunications industry, Verizon is one of the first major telecom companies to begin using it to directly connect homes and businesses to the network on a widespread scale.

Verizon is already building its FTTP network in half the states where the company offers landline communications services.

To help build the network across the country, Verizon will hire between 3,000 and 5,000 new employees by the end of this year, including hundreds in New Jersey. Locally, hundreds of Verizon technicians are learning how to install the fiber-based network facilities required to bring advanced data services to customers.

"Verizon’s fully fiber-optic network is technically superior to other communication platforms because it offers faster data speeds than currently available, as well as voice and future video capability," said William Foshay, Verizon market area president for New Jersey. "Our fiber engineering creates a network that requires less day-to-day maintenance and allows for faster repairs."

Customer reaction to Verizon’s new fiber-based Internet access service, called FiOS (FYE’-ose), has been very positive, with broadband subscribers more than doubling in the company’s inaugural FiOS market of Keller, Texas, just outside Dallas/Fort Worth. FiOS Internet Service currently is available to many Verizon residential customers in New Jersey. Verizon will notify customers when FiOS is available locally. For more information on FiOS Internet Service, customers can visit www.verizon.net/fios.

For more information about Verizon FiOS, see our Verizon FiOS category or our article, "Have you caught the FiOS fever?"