Verizon FiOS Providence
Rhode Island is known for many things, but soon it will be known for something that few states can even lay claim to: The best consumer grade entertainment in the world. Verizon has deployed its industry-leading FiOS network to Rhode Island, and the results are truly impressive. FiOS is a 100% fiber optic network capable of incredible speeds, and Verizon has tweaked it to do truly amazing things. Starting with the class-leading HD digital cable that people from Providence to Pawtucket have been raving about, going on to the fastest consumer-oriented broadband connection in the country that rivals many enterprise level options, and ending in calls so clear that residents of Cranston swear it is like talking to a neighbor rather than dialing International.
The wonder of fiber is not unique to Warwick or even to West Kingston. The fact is that the entire country is literally lined with fiber optics, but the truth is that other carriers place metal wiring between consumers and the high speed fiber optic components. Why? Because wires were cheaper, slower, and allow network architects to create a network that is cost effective at the expense of very high performance. Of course, how a network is used is more important to the residents of Smithfield than what it is theoretically capable of.
To that end the first thing that FiOS engineers did is allow for incredible data bandwidth reserved and partitioned so that video data does not slow broadband data, and neither slow voice traffic. The result is a split stream of data, each several times larger than what rivals offer because none of it is carried over metal wiring that is innately limited. The results in the data-side of the FiOS broadband connection are speeds several times the fastest that the rivals have on tap, enabling an entire house full of users to all do data-intense tasks without skipping a beat.
Video is similarly powerful, with several hundred HD offerings and countless thousands of on demand titles streamed through a set top box that is absolutely brilliant. How brilliant is it? Well, it interfaces with both the broadband and digital voice (VoIP) services intelligently. How so? For starters, you get the ability to remotely manage your entire DVR from anywhere in the world using FiOS, and that’s perfect for Evan from Exeter who routinely visits relatives in England but does not want to miss any of his favorite shows. Or imagine Chatty Cathy from Coventry, who loves to talk but can’t afford to miss the latest reality TV programming. Her solution: an on-screen guide that lets her know if it’s her boss Fred from Foster calling to complain about the fax machine not working or her friend Heather from Hope to chat about that hunk on channel 272!
No matter how you slice it, Providence and the surrounding areas have some of the most amazing digital entertainment systems around. The residents of Pawtucket and Warwick are already enjoying what the rest of the nation will someday get a chance to catch up to.
