Verizon is bringing to 17 more New Jersey communities a fiber-optic network that will deliver faster data speeds, crystal-clear voice -- and also has the capability to offer a full suite of video services in the future - to residence and small business customers in the following locations:

The city of Trenton; Maplewood, Montclair, South Orange and West Orange in Essex County; Berlin Borough, Berlin Township, Chesilhurst, Haddon, Waterford and Winslow in Camden County; Piscataway and Plainsboro in Middlesex County; Victory Gardens in Morris County; Hackensack and Teaneck in Bergen County; and Freehold Borough in Monmouth County.

The company will seek a franchise agreement from the local authority before offering video service in a selected community.

Known as fiber-to-the-premises, or FTTP, the fiber-optic network uses hair-thin strands of fiber and optical electronics to directly link homes and businesses to Verizon's network. The new network will unleash a range of advanced communications services.

To date, Verizon has announced construction of its state-of-the-art network in 99 New Jersey communities in 10 counties. Because of the way the telecommunications network is configured, Verizon upgrades its network in clusters of communities. Clustering maximizes efficiency, allowing the company to deploy this new technology to diverse groups of communities in more parts of the state.

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 currently is constructing FTTP networks in more than half the states where it offers landline communications service, including New Jersey.

To help build the network across the country, Verizon has hired between 3,000 and 5,000 new employees this year, including hundreds in New Jersey. The cost to Verizon of building the network in New Jersey was not disclosed.

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 Access services are already available in dozens of New Jersey communities. Verizon will notify additional customers when FiOS is available locally. Customers who want to determine whether they can order FiOS also can call 888-GET FIOS (888-438-3467) or visit Verizon's FiOS Web site at Verizon .