Verizon today pledged to more than double the speeds of several FiOS Internet tiers as well as introduce two additional tiers to the mix.
Verizon said its revamped FiOS Internet portfolio will include speed tiers that boast 50/25 Mbps and 150/65 download/upload speeds. The two new offerings, meanwhile, will provide 75/35 or 300/65 Mbps.
The 300/65 Mbps tier "is double that of FiOS Internet's current top speed of 150/35 Mbps," Verizon said today.
The provider's entry-level, 15/5 Mbps tier will remain, as will its 25/25, 35/35, 50/20, and 150/35 Mbps options.
Pricing for all these options will be announced next month. Verizon said users can sign up for standalone Internet service or add these tiers to bundled packages.
The move is intended to "address the burgeoning growth of bandwidth-intensive applications and the increase in the number of Internet-connected devices being used simultaneously in the same household," Verizon said.
Basically, the era of unlimited broadband access at one speed is over. Broadband Internet subscribers are no longer only using the Web to check email and do the occasional Google search. They're now streaming Netflix video, accessing live cable TV on iPads, downloading HD movies from iTunes or Amazon, and Skyping for hours.
"Consumers need more bandwidth to receive the highest-quality experience," said Bob Mudge, president of Verizon's consumer and mass market business unit.
"As recently as 2005, video was less than 10 percent of Web traffic," said Mike Ritter, chief marketing officer for Verizon's consumer and mass market business unit. "By the end of this year, we expect it to be 50 percent, growing to 90 percent in just a few years."
Verizon said the 15/5 Mbps tier is aimed at those who use the Web for email and Web browsing in a one- or two-person household. The 50/25 Mbps tier, meanwhile, would be for those in a multi-person household with people who telecommute, download music and photos, and view videos on the PC or wireless devices. The 75/35 Mbps tier is for those who stream HD movies to the TV, participate in multi-player gaming, or have three or more people on Internet-connected devices throughout the home. The 150/65 and 300/65 Mbps speed tiers are geared toward homes with five or more heavy Internet users.
Those two highest tiers will require the installation of a GPON (gigabit passive optical network), but the 300 Mbps tier will allow for the download of a 1.5GB standard-def movie in less than 40 seconds and a 5GB high-def film in 2.2 minutes, Verizon said.
FiOS is currently available in parts of nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, plus parts of Florida, Texas, California and the District of Columbia. It now serves 13.7 million customers, a base that's expected to grow to 18 million as Verizon continues its FiOS buildout. Verizon, however, does not plan to expand FiOS beyond that planned footprint.
More details about the plans are available via verizon.com and in the chart below.
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