Verizon Invested More Than $347 Million in 2012 on Wireline Communications, IT Infrastructure in Florida

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon's powerful networks continue to meet the growing broadband, communications and information needs of Florida and Tampa Bay area consumers and businesses, as the company invested more than $347 million in its Florida wireline networks and information technology infrastructure in 2012. 

"The economic health of Florida, and the people who live and work there, is increasingly tied to robust and modern communications networks, and Verizon's significant infrastructure investments provide a prescription for growth," said Jeanmarie Milla, Verizon's Florida region operations president. "Advanced networks spur innovation, commerce, business development, learning and communication at an accelerated pace.

"Our infrastructure investment breaks down traditional technological boundaries, empowering people and businesses to connect however, whenever and wherever they want. This creates opportunities that are borderless and that bring great benefits to our customers, employees, suppliers and communities," said Milla.

More than half of U.S. consumers say Internet service is their home's most important convenience, according to the Verizon FiOS Innovation Index – a series of consumer research surveys. More than 50 percent of all survey respondents also indicated an interest in remote health monitoring and virtual medical visits, which are enabled by ultra-high-speed networks and innovative applications.

"Whether it's touring the Louvre from your laptop, watching TV on your tablet, or monitoring blood pressure online, our networks are helping consumers and businesses advance their own agenda and remove technological boundaries," said Milla.

Innovation That Creates Consumer Choice, Delivers Rich Customer Experiences

Verizon's major wireline infrastructure programs in 2012 included:

• Continued 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.
• The introduction of breakthrough speeds with FiOS Quantum Internet for consumers and small businesses, featuring download/upload speeds of 50/25, 75/35, 150/65 and 300/65 megabits per second (Mbps). The two highest downstream speed offers – 150 and 300 Mbps – and the new 65 Mbps upstream speed are some of the nation's fastest mass scale Internet speeds available. (This FiOS Internet speed grid shows specific examples of the benefits of faster downstream and upstream speeds.)
• Continued FiOS innovation:
  • FiOS TV anytime, anywhere, on a variety of devices, including Flex View and FiOS TV Online, to which Verizon added 12 new brands, representing more than 50 channels, including Showtime, FOX, VH1, NFL Network and NFL RedZone.
  • TV beyond the set-top box, featuring 75 live, linear channels delivered via Xbox, iPad and an array of Samsung and LG smart TVs and Blu-ray players.
  • Content enhancement by adding 28 new channels, such as BBC HD and Cartoon Network HD; more than 17,000 video-on-demand titles, including free VOD from NBA TV; and a significant expansion to Verizon's free on-demand offerings from TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network and Showtime. FiOS TV now offers more than 50,000 VOD titles each month.
• Investing in superior customer experiences: More than 200,000 Verizon customers nationwide who had repeat repair calls on their landline phone service moved their service from Verizon's copper network to the company's all-fiber infrastructure, which is less susceptible than copper to moisture and water damage and offers a better service experience.
• Continued deployment of fiber-optic links to wireless providers' cell sites throughout Florida as these carriers expand their infrastructure to meet ever-growing demand for wireless broadband and advanced 4G services. In 2012, Verizon deployed fiber optics to connect 117 of these sites in the state. 

(NOTE: Verizon Wireless infrastructure investment information can be found at http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/index.html?type=News+Releases.)

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 more than 98 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, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with nearly $116 billion in 2012 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 183,400. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.  

SOURCE Verizon