Verizon's army toils at daunting upgrade
VERIZON'S ARMY TOILS AT DAUNTING SPEED
[SOURCE: USAToday 3/1, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley]
Verizon has deployed an army of linemen to tackle one of the most ambitious engineering projects in contemporary America. The goal: to replace hundreds of thousands of miles of copper phone lines with cutting-edge fiber-optic technology. The carrier plans to spend $23 billion to make fiber-optic broadband connections available to 18 million households by 2010. For that princely sum, Verizon will reach about a third of its sprawling territory in 28 states and the District of Columbia. Verizon hasn't said when, or even if, it plans to upgrade the rest of its footprint. Meanwhile, it's taking a meat ax to operations it has deemed not cost-effective to rewire: It recently announced plans to sell systems, many rural, in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, and more sales could be forthcoming. One thing's for sure: Once the massive upgrade is completed, Verizon will control one of the most advanced communications networks on the planet. The network -- dubbed FiOS for Fiber Optic Services -- will be capable of easily handling an endless array of phone, high-speed data and video services, including high-definition TV. Consumers are the biggest winners in Verizon's high-stakes engineering gamble, says Jan Dawson, a telecom analyst at Ovum. As phone and cable companies gird for war and beef up their networks, they'll be able to offer a cornucopia of new services. Bargains won't be far behind, he predicts.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070301/fios.art.htm
-- In a related story see...
AT&T slows 'Lightspeed' release goals
[SOURCE: USAToday 3/1, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley]
AT&T won't reach 18 million homes this year with its "Lightspeed" broadband network, after all. Instead, it will reach less than half the original target: 8 million. AT&T unveiled its latest 2007 target in an unusually quiet manner: It was offered up to Wall Street analysts on an earnings call on Jan. 25. The 8 million figure later showed up in a few investor notes, where it did not attract much attention.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070301/2b_att01.art.htm