Verizon Goes to 'Extremes' in Massachusetts and Rhode Island With New Service Bundles Featuring High-Octane High-Def TV, Ultra-High-Speed Internet and Super-Reliable Voice Services

Verizon Goes to 'Extremes' in Massachusetts and Rhode Island With New Service Bundles Featuring High-Octane High-Def TV, Ultra-High-Speed Internet and Super-Reliable Voice Services

New FiOS TV Customers Eligible for a Free High-Def DVR for 12 Months and Free Month of HBO and Cinemax

BOSTON, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon is bringing its FiOS customers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island the ultimate broadband and home entertainment experiences, with new FiOS Freedom bundles. Bundle options now include a new FiOS TV Extreme service tier with more high-definition (HD) channels than the cable companies in the market, in addition to ultra-high-speed FiOS Internet service that blows cable away, plus reliable, unlimited local and long-distance calling.

Also today, Verizon announced the launch of 75 new channels, including 55 additional high-definition (HD) channels, in the region. FiOS TV customers in the area now have more than 480 HD choices available at any time, with a total of 85 HD channels and more than 400 HD video-on-demand (VOD) titles offered each month. [Note: This announcement and others can be found at Verizon's online news center: http://newscenter.verizon.com/.]

"We've gone all-out with affordable new packages for customers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island," said Bob Driscoll, Verizon vice president of sales and marketing in New England. "They combine the fastest Internet access -- period -- with high-quality, high-def TV picture quality and superior voice service, all delivered over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network."

When Verizon FiOS customers choose to bundle the FiOS TV Extreme HD service with Internet and calling service, they receive:

   --  FiOS TV Extreme HD Service -- More than 250 standard-definition       channels and 85 HD channels -- more HD than any of the local cable       companies -- including Verizon's sports package, previously only       available separately.  FiOS TV offers 100 percent digital quality on       every channel.  Unlike many cable providers, Verizon does not       additionally compress TV signals once they are received.  For       customers this means enjoying stunning picture-and-sound quality that       makes any TV look good.    --  FiOS Internet Service -- With maximum connection speeds of up to 10       megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 2 Mbps upstream, FiOS       Internet provides families the speed they need to have the best online       experiences.     --  Freedom Essentials Calling -- Super-reliable phone service with       unlimited local and long-distance calling.    

Other packages are available that include additional options for television service, premium subscription channel offerings and higher Internet speeds. The new packages are available to FiOS TV-eligible customers, for prices starting as low as $99 a month in an annual service plan.

"These bundles are our best deals ever, and it's the perfect time to experience the FiOS difference," said Driscoll. "With the fastest Internet speeds, the best TV picture quality and the most HD, FiOS is the clear choice for a superior home network."

To make the new bundle offers even sweeter, Verizon is offering consumers who sign up for FiOS TV by Oct. 4 a year's free use of either an HD DVR (digital video recorder) or an HD Home Media DVR. With Verizon's unique Home Media DVR, customers can use one DVR to record programming that can be watched on up to six other TV sets in the home. This includes viewing up to three separately recorded programs simultaneously on different TV sets, and the ability to pause recorded programming on one set and continue watching it on another. FiOS TV's Home Media DVR is bundled with Media Manager, a feature that allows customers to access photos, music and videos from their personal computers and play them on their TV.

Verizon is also offering new FiOS TV customers, or existing customers who upgrade to a bundled package, one free month of HBO and Cinemax, which includes more than 25 premium channels and access to hundreds of additional titles on video-on-demand. New customers who take advantage of this offer will save between $200 and $260 the first year, depending upon the DVR customers choose.

Verizon's FiOS Internet and FiOS TV services are delivered over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network, straight to customers' homes and businesses. FiOS TV offers a broad collection of all-digital programming, with more than 400 total channels and 11,000 video-on-demand (VOD) titles each month, 70 percent of which are free. The VOD library also includes an increasing number of HD titles, and Verizon plans to have 1,000 HD VOD titles per month by the end of the year. FiOS TV, the nation's fastest-growing television service provider, is currently available to more than 7 million homes in 13 states.

For more information, consumers can visit www.verizon.com/fiostv or call their local Verizon sales office or 888-438-3467.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) , headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 69 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 228,600 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
http://www.verizon.com/fiostv

Source: Verizon

CONTACT: Heather Wilner, +1-212-321-8333, heather.b.wilner@verizon.com,
or Phil Santoro, +1-617-743-4760, philip.g.santoro@verizon.com

Web Site: http://newscenter.verizon.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html

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Profile: International Entertainment