If you’ve been a Verizon FiOS Internet customer for the past several years, you know that we’ve continued to offer you faster speeds. In 2004 when we launched FiOS Internet, our entry level download speed was 5 Mbps, and the upload speed was 2 Mbps. Fast forward to June 2008, when we made 50/20 Mbps available to all FiOS customers.
There’s no doubt we’ve transformed the market for high-speed broadband services in the United States, and cable has had to play catch-up. Yet cable’s response has been to focus on downstream connections when more and more consumers are craving high-speed two-way connections for uploading school projects, sending family photos or working from home. According to a survey of U.S. residential broadband users (“US Broadband Speeds on the Rise,” In-Stat, Feb. 2009), the average upstream connection speed used by cable broadband customers is 2.68 Mbps, which would seriously limit a home-based worker who needs to send large files to co-workers or clients.
We think broadband isn’t really fast unless it’s two-way fast, and we’re amping up speeds in both directions for our most popular FiOS Internet services. We’re also offering incentives for consumers to switch to FiOS.
We’re raising the speed of our entry-level FiOS Internet service from 10/2 Mbps to 15/5 Mbps, and we’re raising the speed of our flagship, mid-tier offering from 20/5 Mbps to 25/15 Mbps. In downstate New York, FiOS Internet is even faster with a new entry-level speed of 25/15 Mbps and a new mid-tier offering of 35/20 Mbps available in bundles. Current FiOS customers can subscribe to the new services by calling us at 1-888-GET-FiOS.
We’re also helping customers who use, or want, our DSL-based Verizon High Speed Internet (HSI) service that offers sustained Internet connection speeds of up to 1, 3 and 7.1 Mbps. For customers who order a two-year agreement for non-bundled service, their price will remain the same – between $17.99 and $39.99 per month – as long as they continue on the same HSI service plan and retain local voice service.
To make it even sweeter to switch from cable, we’re offering new customers who purchase qualifying Verizon FiOS or High Speed Internet packages their choice of a free Compaq Mini netbook or a Flip Ultra™ camcorder.
We’ll spell out the promotional details in our news release later today, but new customers need to have service for 60 days and no past due balance to qualify for either the netbook or the camcorder. Customers who choose the netbook will pay taxes, shipping and handling – about $50.
We think new customers will join existing customers like photographer and educator Kathy Halamka in appreciating the value of fast two-way connections. Take a look at this video to learn why Kathy thinks upload speeds are so important.
Then let me know how you’re using the upload and download power of Verizon’s broadband services to amp up your work and entertainment.