Fiber optics are tomorrow
Verizon plans to offer high-definition video on demand through FiOS, a fiber optic network, reports Reuters. FiOS will compete with cable companies over all-in-one packages that offer phone, Internet, and TV.
Verizon uses FTTP - "fiber to the premises" - in its FiOS network, which connects homes directly to fiber. It is spending $18 billion from 2004 to 2010 with a goal of reaching 18 million homes by the end of the decade.
The company is spending three times as much as fellow telecom AT&T on its advanced Internet and video network; in contrast, AT&T takes advantage of existing copper lines between homes and neighborhood "nodes."
