Verizon Announces $70 Fios Gigabit Service (Well, Almost Gigabit)

By Steven Lynch
published

Verizon announced its Fios Gigabit Connection for $69.99 a month (opens in new tab) for new customers. Although the new service is billed as "gigabit," the actual speeds are listed as "as fast as 940 Mbps and uploads as fast as 880 Mbps."

Existing customers who want to upgrade to Fios Gigabit Connection will be able to do so at the end of this month. Customers with the older, more expensive 750 Mbps/750 Mbps Instant Internet service will soon automatically receive the new higher speeds and see a reduction in their bills, as well. Verizon did not elaborate on how much of a discount existing customers would receive.

Ken Dixon, president of Verizon’s consumer wireline business stated:

Everyone deserves the fastest Internet available. No cable provider comes close to offering the speeds and power of Fios Gigabit connection on this kind of scale. And we’ve priced it so that millions can enjoy it.

In areas where Fios Gigabit Connection service is available, Verizon now offers two tiers of standalone Internet service: 50 Mbps for $39.99 a month and the new Gigabit Connection for $69.99 a month when ordered online. The catch of course is that you must live in an area that offers Fios Gigabit Connection service. Fios customers in other areas will still be stuck with 300/300Mbps or 500/500Mbps plans that cost $79.99 and $179.99, respectively.  

Steven Lynch
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Web Life
30 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Martell1977
    After having FIOS for 10 years, I ditched Frontier and Verizon Wireless when Verizon sold out to Frontier. The service was very stable and all the speed I wanted/needed, but for some reason the saw fit to screw over millions of customers.

    Happily with Charter Spectrum now. Not even the mailers offering me $400 to go back temps me.
    Reply
  • bigdragon
    I currently have FiOS at 50 Mbps for this advertised gigabit price. When I looked up my address their website claimed it would be $220 a month for 500 Mbps. Gigabit is $500 a month. This press release is a bunch of BS.
    Reply
  • razor512
    19607398 said:
    I currently have FiOS at 50 Mbps for this advertised gigabit price. When I looked up my address their website claimed it would be $220 a month for 500 Mbps. Gigabit is $500 a month. This press release is a bunch of BS.

    Sadly, fios pricing is highly localized and based on the specific competition in the area. Basically if you have a competitive alternative that offers no data caps, then you will get better options and lower prices, but if you have no competition that can properly compete (slow cable or 4G), then you are likely getting stuck with insane markups on the service.

    It is bad to a point where your neighbors can be on the same beamsplitter that you are on, and because the cable provider is servicing that side of the block but not yours, verizon will offer then faster speeds at a lower price than you will get.
    Reply
  • fruitn
    So my local provider (in Denmark) would like to sell me 300/300 Mbits for 51$ per month, or 500/500 Mbits for 66$ per month. What the hell is wrong with the capitalism in the US, it was supposed to bring cheaper prices all around.
    Reply
  • jungleboogiemonster
    Even though Verizon got huge tax breaks to provide fiber to their customers in my state, all I can get is 3 Mbs DSL for $35/month. Verizon is no longer rolling out fiber in my state, so this is all I'll ever get from them.
    Reply
  • rantoc
    I think im happy with my 1gb for less than 20us$ a month ;) Not to mention its extremely stable and have very good backbone towards the internet (reach 980ish up/down)
    Reply
  • hdmark
    19608434 said:
    Even though Verizon got huge tax breaks to provide fiber to their customers in my state, all I can get is 3 Mbs DSL for $35/month. Verizon is no longer rolling out fiber in my state, so this is all I'll ever get from them.

    im close to your situation. verizon has "HIGH SPEED" dsl thats like 1.5-3. I called CS and asked them what year it was that they were claiming that is high speed. they didnt think that was funny...
    Reply
  • gggplaya
    19607908 said:
    So my local provider (in Denmark) would like to sell me 300/300 Mbits for 51$ per month, or 500/500 Mbits for 66$ per month. What the hell is wrong with the capitalism in the US, it was supposed to bring cheaper prices all around.

    Denmark is a small country, much easier to roll out internet throughout. The united states is vast with most area's having lower population density. Prices will reflect that. The infrastructure doesn't build itself, it costs alot of money, mostly to appease land owners to dig up their lawns.

    Google tried to offer affordable internet, but ran into too many road blocks to continue construction, as well as the massive cost to build infrastructure in suburban and rural areas. They ditched that effort a few months ago. Now google wants to instead design a really good long range wifi internet system. It should offer competition to rural areas, the latency will be too high for gaming, but should be fine for everything else. This makes alot more sense, with far less infrastructure to build. Just bring fiber to the local town center, set up a huge tower and it'll serve a 50 mile radius with broadband.



    Reply
  • gggplaya
    19608840 said:
    19608434 said:
    Even though Verizon got huge tax breaks to provide fiber to their customers in my state, all I can get is 3 Mbs DSL for $35/month. Verizon is no longer rolling out fiber in my state, so this is all I'll ever get from them.

    im close to your situation. verizon has "HIGH SPEED" dsl thats like 1.5-3. I called CS and asked them what year it was that they were claiming that is high speed. they didnt think that was funny...

    Growing up during the days of 56k modems, 3mbps would have been considered super high speed internet. That was only the late 90's, early 2000's. The problem is, you don't actually have broadband in your area so you're at the limit of phone technology. DSL runs over phone lines, the technology maxes out at 3mbps if you're close enough to the telco switch. There's nothing they can do to increase that. Switch to comcast if you can get it, or look for a local WISP provider.

    Reply
  • jeremy2020
    "Google tried to offer affordable internet, but ran into too many road blocks to continue construction"

    Yes, they ran into AT&T and Verizon refusing to adhere to the laws regarding access to the poles. As someone living in Austin, it is incredibly annoying to learn that AT&T was being so obstructionist.
    Reply