Verizon's FIOS (fiber optic service) recently became available where I live in Everett, Washington. The version I'm getting is 15 Mbps for downloads and 2 Mbps for uploads. This download speed is ten times faster than my current 1.5 Mbps DSL and two to three times faster than cable internet.
FIOS is a fiber to the premises system which supports up to 30 Mbps internet access and includes digital HD TV in some areas of the country, but not yet in Everett.
This is what I've gleaned from the web about FIOS -
The current copper line to your house, used for the plain old telephone service (POTS) and DSL, will be replaced by a fiber optic cable. The junction box for the copper telephone line will be removed and replaced by a new interface box for the fiber optic cable. The interface box for the fiber needs 120 VAC to operate and has a battery backup so the phone will keep working for several hours in the event of a power failure.
Verizon will run the cable to your house, install the interface box outside, install the power supply inside (near the interface box and a power outlet), and run the network cable (Cat 5 cable) to a wireless 4-port router that is supplied with the package.
FIOS has been around for a few years in certain parts of the country and from what I've been reading, actual download/upload speeds match the advertised speeds quite closely.
Verizon has a variety of packages for FIOS from $42.99/month for 5 Mbps/2 Mbps up to $159.95 for a 30 Mbps/15 Mbps.
The one year 15 Mbps/2 Mbps package I'm getting is free for the first month, $42.95 for months 2-7 and $52.95 for months 8-12...which works out to $43.53/month for the year.
There's a $19.95 activation fee so the cost for the first year averages out to $45.20/month. In other words it's about 5 bucks more per month than 1.5 Mbps DSL with 10X faster download speeds, and has the potential to replace my coaxial cable TV service in the future. Sounds good to me...
