Verizon Invested More Than $336 Million in West Central Florida's Wireline Telecommunications Infrastructure in 2013

TAMPA, Fla., March 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tampa Bay region's consumers, businesses and government agencies continued to benefit from Verizon's 2013 investment of more than $336 million in its industry-leading fiber-optic and Internet Protocol-based networks. 

"Customers' communications, broadband and video needs grow more sophisticated each day, and Verizon – with its strong networks and assets in Florida – is uniquely positioned to meet those needs," said Jeanmarie Milla, Florida region president for consumer and mass business. "We focus on our customers every day to provide them with the very best experience, from the quality and reliability of our networks, to the breadth of our products and services, to the expertise of our customer service employees."

Consumers, Small Businesses Take Quantum Leap for Innovative Services

Verizon's major wireline infrastructure programs in 2013 included:

• More than $4.9 million to migrate customers off of the older, less reliable copper network and onto Verizon's industry-leading, all-fiber FiOS network.
• Nearly $3.2 million to improve network reliability for E911 services, data and voice delivery in major switch locations and diversity in fiber-optic network routes to help minimize outages during major natural events.
• More than $1 million to continue cell site upgrades for 4G-LTE services.
• Continued refinements and limited deployment of the company's award-winning, 100 percent fiber-optic FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services. At year's end, FiOS services were available to more than 1.2 million Tampa Bay region homes and businesses in parts of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Verizon placed more than 497,000 feet of fiber optics for the FiOS network in the Tampa Bay region during 2013, bringing the total placed in region since 2004 for FiOS to more than 12,000 sheath miles – enough to take four round-trip drives from Tampa to Seattle and then some.
• Enhancing the FiOS Bandwidth Effect, which enables consumers and small businesses to harness huge amounts of broadband.
  • FiOS Quantum, with speeds up to 500 Mbps down and 100 Mbps up, is America's fastest Internet. Other Quantum speeds include 300/65 Mbps, 150/65 Mbps, 75/35 Mbps and 50/25 Mbps. All Quantum tiers offer upload speeds that rival or exceed most download speeds offered by competitors.
  • The ultra-fast speed delivers technology that gives people the best way to stream videos, conduct video chats and use multiple Internet devices simultaneously among other bandwidth-intensive applications.
  • Multi-player gaming advantages, with tremendous speed versus competitors.
• Delivering FiOS TV anytime, anywhere on a variety of devices:
  • The FiOS Mobile App allows customers to manage their Verizon account and their life – wherever they are – on a variety of Internet-connected devices. Best of all, they can watch up to 31 channels outside the home and 91 channels inside the home, depending upon their TV package.
  • FiOS TV Online, offering 71 channels over a broadband-connected PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
  • Advanced, interactive search and navigational experience.
  • Multi-Room DVR.
  • Advanced, interactive TV Apps.
  • Industry leading 80,000+ FiOS On Demand video titles customers can rent or own, plus premium on demand content packages with sports, movie and international programming.
• Comprehensive choice including month-to-month plans and multi-year bundles.
• In-Home Agent application for automated self-service.
• Advanced, FiOS Digital Voice home phone service.
• Investing in superior customer experiences: Verizon has improved phone service reliability for more than 500,000 customers who had repeat repair calls on their Verizon landline phone service by moving their service from copper to the company's advanced, all-fiber infrastructure. Nationwide, Verizon now serves more landline customers on its all-fiber infrastructure than on its legacy copper network. Fiber is less susceptible than copper to moisture and water damage and offers a better overall service experience.

Enterprise Business Solutions Tailored to Meet Client Needs

Verizon Enterprise Solutions oversees all of Verizon's solutions for large-business, wholesale and government customers in Florida and globally, including a portfolio of cloud and IT, enterprise mobility, security and advanced communications offerings. Its key client segments include healthcare, manufacturing and automotive, financial services and large government agencies. In 2013, Verizon:

• Acquired EdgeCast and the assets of upLynk to further the company's delivery of media and entertainment services. These acquisitions enable Verizon to enhance delivery of end-to-end video solutions for best-in-class TV Everywhere and superior experiences to customers such as studios, broadcasters, retailers and enterprises that seek high-performance digital experiences across all devices.
• Announced its next-generation public cloud platform, Verizon Cloud. Verizon Cloud offers large enterprises, mid-size companies and small development shops the agility and economic benefit of a generic public cloud along with the reliability and scale of an enterprise-level service with unprecedented control of performance and security. Verizon Cloud is currently in beta.
• Launched Converged Health Management, a remote patient-monitoring medical platform designed to help clinicians and patients manage patients' health in between doctor visits. Verizon's newest solution addresses the day-to-day communications gap that has historically existed between patients and clinicians.
• Introduced Managed Wireless ATM, a fully managed, wireless automated teller machine solution that banks can deploy to their remote ATMs, at events or for business continuity planning.
• Rolled out "In Drive" service in conjunction with insurance companies. In Drive, developed by Verizon Telematics, offers drivers an opportunity to save money on auto insurance, based on their driving habits.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with nearly 103 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries. A Dow 30 company with more than $120 billion in 2013 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 176,800. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon