Verizon will soon bring to nine communities in the Harrisburg area one of the most significant advancements in telecommunications technology in the past 100 years. The communities are: Hummelstown Borough and Derry, West Hanover, East Hanover, South Hanover, Swatara, Lower Swatara, Lower Paxton and Susquehanna townships.

The company 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 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 new network replaces the traditional copper-wire connections and will unleash a range of advanced communication services.

Verizon has begun building its FTTP network in a number of locations in the Harrisburg area. Verizon's contractor, Quanta Services, 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.

Verizon is already building its FTTP network in half the states where the company offers landline communications services. In Pennsylvania, FTTP construction also is under way in the southeastern and western parts of the state.

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 Pennsylvania. Locally, hundreds of Verizon technicians are learning how to install the fiber-based network facilities required to bring advanced data services to customers.

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 southeastern Pennsylvania. 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?"