What in the World is FiOS?

By now you've probably seen a lot of buzz surrounding Verizon's new product line known as FiOS, and you may be wondering what it is, if you can get it, or just what all of the fuss is about. FiOS is more than another cute name or marketing gimmick. It's not a new technology either, but we are starting to see its uses in more applications of every day life than ever before.

Fiber Optic Service.

TV, and Internet are a couple examples of the more common product offerings available through FiOS. Verizon's FiOS is an acronym for fiber optic service, but they are not the only company to provide television and Internet over fiber. AT&T also offers both products via their U-verse brand, and Qwest provides fiber optic Internet service as well. FiOS is simply a branded term to describe Verizon's new line of communications products that are delivered over a network of optical fiber lines.

Benefits of fiber optic service

To really grasp the benefit to fiber optic service you need to know how optical fiber works. An optical fiber is made of plastic, or sometimes glass, and is able to transmit light vertically through a strand. This makes it possible to transmit data via light which can travel greater distances, and at a faster rate with less loss of quality than traditional methods.

Fiber Internet Service

Since data is transferred via light, fiber optic Internet service is much faster than traditional DSL, or cable broadband Internet service. To give you an example of how much faster, average traditional broadband speeds top out at near, or around 15 Mbps download speeds, or downstream. Verizon actually offers a residential grade of FiOS Internet capable of download speeds up to a mind blowing 50 Mbps. One of Verizon's most popular FiOS Internet packages is 20/20, or 20 Mbps uploads (upstream) and 20 Mbps downloads (downstream). Now that's fast!

FiOS TV

Just as with fiber Internet, there are key benefits to getting one's television signal over fiber optics. Less loss of quality. In an age where high definition is becoming the standard for TV, you can only get as good a picture as your TV provider can deliver, regardless of how expensive, or advanced your television set is. Since there is much less loss of your television signal over a fiber optic network you'll get superior picture and sound compared to any other television service technology.

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