Verizon says the company will be boosting the top speed of its FiOS broadband service to 750 Mbps starting January 14. According to Verizon, the company's new "Instant Internet" tier will provide symmetrical speeds of 750 Mbps, and will cost users a promotional rate of $150 per month for standalone service, or $170 per month when bundled with TV and phone service. That's either the same or less than Verizon's existing pricing for its 300 Mbps ($170 per month) and 500 Mbps ($270 per month), suggesting the prices of those tiers could eventually drop.
After the initial launch in greater New York City / Northern New Jersey, Philadelphia and Richmond, Fios Instant Internet will be available in portions of Boston and Norfolk later in the first quarter, says the company.
Verizon did not give a timeline for -- or guarantee -- that the ultra-fast tier will make it to the company's entire footprint. Verizon has been under fire in numerous states for effectively hanging up on Verizon FiOS expansion to instead focus on its AOL, Yahoo acquisitions and a pivot into marketing and advertising to Millennials.
"No Internet service provider has come close to offering upload and download speeds like these at such a massive scale as Fios Instant Internet," said Verizon's Ken Dixon, who apparently hopes you won't realize Verizon has been sitting on the sideline while other ISPs begin deployment of gigabit broadband service.
"Ever since we decided to build the nation's largest 100 percent fiber-to-the-home network 14 years ago, we've been saying that it is a future-proof technology. The future is now here with Fios Instant Internet," he added.
If Verizon can offer 750 Mbps, it most certainly could provide residential users with 1 Gbps. Verizon's refusal to do so suggests it still doesn't think gigabit speeds are necessary. That said, several ISPs have stated that while not that many people take (or more accurately can afford) gigabit lines, the service does result in consumers calling in to see if its time for an upgrade to faster service.
More details can be found in the full announcement here.