Verizon (News - Alert) is offering all-fiber-optic network and fiber-optic service (FiOS) Internet and TV services to Archstone Apartments in Northern Virginia, a recent announcement from Verizon said.

 

Archstone, an apartment building management and investment company, has 5,429 units in 14 Northern Virginia apartment communities. These communities are located in Arlington, Ashburn, Fairfax, Herndon, Reston and Vienna.

 

According to Verizon and Archstone, an additional 3,290 Archstone apartment homes in the state are expected to have the services later this year.  Archstone is also working with Verizon to bring FiOS (News - Alert) services to more communities in Maryland, Massachusetts and New York.

 

Verizon FiOS delivers Internet access with maximum downstream connection speeds of up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps.  At 50 Mbps, downloading a 1.2 GB (gigabyte), or 90-minute, standard-definition movie takes about 3.2 minutes. Using a 20 Mbps upstream broadband connection, a person could upload a 250 megabyte (MB) file or a 3,500-page document in about 90 seconds, compared with about 47 minutes over a 768 kilobits per second (kbps) upstream connection, according to Verizon.

 

Verizon's fiber-optic network is capable of delivering good quality pictures and sound with FiOS TV and has the capacity to transmit a wide array of high-definition (HD) programming, the company said.

 

Verizon's FiOS TV service offers a broad collection of all-digital programming, with more than 400 channels and 10,000 video-on-demand (VOD) titles each month, 70 percent of which are free.  The VOD library also includes an increasing number of HD titles, with plans for 1,000 HD VOD titles per month by year-end, according to the company.

 

Eric Cevis, vice president of Verizon Enhanced Communities, said, “It matters which network is connected to your TV, computer and phone. With our all-fiber network, these customers are receiving the most advanced network for voice, data and TV services available in the market today - FiOS services.”

 

Verizon Enhanced Communities is involved in marketing and selling communications and entertainment services to single- and multiple-home properties, Verizon said. According to Verizon, Verizon Enhanced Communities has entered agreements with developers and contractors for new developments under construction covering 400,000 private households and is offering FiOS to 750,000 apartment units across 16 states, where the company is currently building its all-fiber network.