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 in this Albany County town - and also has the capability to offer a full suite of future video services. The company will seek a franchise agreement from the local authority before offering cable service in a particular 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 state-of-the-art network upgrade will unleash a range of advanced communication services.

The company announced earlier this year that it was deploying its all-fiber network in the Albany County community of Delmar. The company also has announced it is rolling out the network in several communities in the Syracuse area, as well as in Westchester and Rockland counties and on Long Island.

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 York.

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. Verizon will notify customers when FiOS is available locally.

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