Verizon customers in parts of Brandon, Alafia and Carrollwood now can experience extremely high-speed Internet access as the company begins to offer its Verizon FiOS ^SM (FYE’-ose) Internet Service to homes here.

Verizon is rolling out the industry’s premier consumer broadband services to most of its customers in these areas. Meanwhile, it is readying at least eight other geographic areas in its west central Florida service territory for FiOS availability. The company is offering three tiers of service with approximate downstream (download) speeds of up to 5, 15 and 30 Mbps (megabits per second).

Verizon is delivering FiOS services over its new fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network, which the company is currently building in portions of Florida and 13 other states. The company will announce FiOS Internet Service in other areas as it becomes available.



FTTP technology utilizes fiber-optic connections – instead of copper wire – directly into homes and businesses to enable a broad array of voice, data and video applications. In addition to its current FiOS services, Verizon plans to launch FiOS TV in 2005 to compete directly with cable TV providers. FiOS TV will be available in markets where Verizon has negotiated cable franchise agreements with local authorities.

“FiOS is setting the new standard for consumer broadband services in America,” said Alan Ciamporcero, president of Verizon’s Southeast region. “Our customers who already subscribe to FiOS services are astounded at what they now can do with their online experience. Video chats and conferencing, purchased digital movie downloads and interactive multi-player games have become a part of their daily lives.”

Customer reaction to Verizon’s new fiber-based Internet access service has been very positive, with broadband subscribers already more than doubling in the company’s inaugural FiOS market of Keller, Texas, just outside Dallas/Fort Worth.

“The Internet is an increasingly interactive place where quickly sending information is just as important as quickly receiving it,” Ciamporcero said. “From uploading multi-megabyte e-mails with photo attachments, to interacting with the office from home, FiOS gives customers unprecedented speed, efficiency and productivity at very competitive prices.”

“In addition to an outstanding array of high-speed access options, we will provide our customers with a first-class installation experience, in which a Verizon technician visits the home, sets up the connection and configures the service,” said Ciamporcero.

Each consumer data offer includes the suite of services currently available to Verizon Online DSL customers at no additional charge, including: MSN Premium content; Verizon’s new Broadband Beat entertainment portal optimized for high-speed access featuring news, games, streaming video and more; up to nine e-mail accounts with 30 megabytes (MB) of storage for the primary account and an additional 10 MB for each sub-account; address book and calendar; 10 MB personal Web space and a Web site building tool; and access to newsgroups.

FiOS services now are available to many Verizon customers in the 813 area code whose phone numbers have the following prefixes: Brandon – 571, 643, 651, 653, 654, 655, 657, 661, 662, 681, 684, 685, 689; Alafia – 671, 672, 677, 741; and Carrollwood – 264, 265, 269, 908, 960, 961, 962, 963, 964, 968, 969. Customers who want to determine whether they can order FiOS Internet Service can call 888-GET FIOS (888-438-3467) or visit Verizon’s FiOS Web site at www.verizon.net/fios.