Verizon Fios logo
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Industry | Television Internet Phone |
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Founded | September 22, 2005 Keller, Texas, U.S. |
Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S. |
Parent | Verizon Communications |
Website | www |
Verizon Fios is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service that operates over a fiber-optic communications network with over 5 million customers in nine U.S. states. The name, Fios, is an acronym for Fiber Optic Service. Service is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications, while Frontier Communications operates licensed FiOS services in former Verizon territories across six states, using a nearly identical network infrastructure. Fios service began in 2005, and networked areas expanded through 2010, although some areas do not have service or cannot receive TV and phone service because of franchise agreements.
Verizon was one of the first major U.S. carriers to offer fiber to the home, and received positive ratings from Consumer Reports among cable television and Internet service providers. Other service providers use fiber optics in the network backbone and existing copper or coax infrastructure for residential users.
Where available, select Verizon Wireless stores also sell Fios services, similar to AT&T offering DirecTV and U-verse services in its wireless stores.
The early stages of Fios began when Bell Atlantic was testing its video service "Stargazer" in 1995. This was the world's first commercial VOD (Video on Demand) service, which was tested to 1,000 homes in northern Virginia. During this time there were talks of developing a fiber optic based service. This service was developed at a headquarters located in Reston, Virginia.