FiOS is a fiber to the premises (FTTP) telecommunications service offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon. According to Verizon, "Fios" is an Irish word for "knowledge" (The Irish word for knowledge is actually "Eolas"). In mailings to New Jersey customers, however, Verizon states that it stands for "fiber-optic service." Verizon has attracted consumer and media attention in the area of broadband Internet access as the first major U.S. carrier to offer such a service. Verizon has also launched a television service with its fiber optic lines. FiOS started as a pilot program in Keller, Texas, but availability of the Internet service has expanded to many states.

Service offering
[edit] Internet access
There are several tiers of residential Internet service. Availability depends upon the location of the customer; in areas of intense competition, speeds are higher.


Speeds
Available speed tiers, in megabits per second (Mbps)


Common Speeds
5 Downstream / 2 Upstream
15 Downstream / 2 Upstream
30 Downstream / 5 Upstream

Speeds available in certain markets
5 Downstream / 2 Upstream
10 Downstream / 2 Upstream
15 Downstream / 2 Upstream
20 Downstream / 5 Upstream
30 Downstream / 5 Upstream
50 Downstream / 5 Upstream
50 Downstream / 10 Upstream

Higher speeds tend to be available only in the highly-competitive areas, such as the Tri-State Region, Greater Boston, and Northern Virginia.[1]