Verizon Expands 50/20 Mbps FiOS Internet Speed to 16 States

July 14, 2008

Verizon has announced it will be expanding its FiOS Internet speeds of up to 50 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads and up to 20 Mbps for uploads to the company's entire FiOS Internet service footprint in 16 states. The expanded service will be available starting this week and will impact more than ten million homes and businesses.

Verizon Expands its 50/20 Mbps FiOS Internet Service

Verizon had already offered the 50/20 Mbps and 20/20 Mbps services in its FiOS markets in Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. The company is now expanding those offerings to new Verizon FiOS customers in parts of California, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, replacing existing offerings of 30/15 Mbps and 15/15 Mbps services, respectively. The mid-tier connection speed in those markets for new customers is being increased from 15/2 Mbps to 20/5 Mbps, and the basic service tier is being increased from 5/2 Mbps to 10/2 Mbps.

Verizon FiOS Internet Customers Receive 50 Mbps Download Speeds

At 50 Mbps, downloading a 5 GB file, such as a 112-minute, high-definition movie purchased online, takes approximately 13.3 minutes, while a 50 MB, or 60-minute, Web video takes eight seconds, and a 5 MB MP3 music file takes less than eight-tenths of a second.

Using a 20 Mbps upstream broadband connection, a consumer could upload a 250 megabyte (MB) file of 200 photos in about 90 seconds, instead of the roughly 47 minutes it takes over a 768 kilobit-per-second (Kbps) upstream connection. A 500 MB file, such as 400 digital photos or a medical imaging data file can be uploaded in less than four minutes, compared with about 90 minutes over a 768 Kbps connection. A 3 gigabyte (GB) file, such as a one-hour family video shot with a high-definition video camera, can be uploaded in around 20 minutes, compared with more than nine hours with 768 Kbps upstream.

"The appetite for bandwidth shows no signs of slowing down. Neither will we," said Verizon president and chief operating office Denny Strigl. "We've already had successful trials of the 100-megabit home, which will be a reality faster than anybody thinks."