Verizon Communication

Type: Public (NYSE: VZ)
Founded: 1983
Headquarters: New York, NY, USA
Key people: Ivan Seidenberg, Chairman & CEO
Industry: Communications Services
Products: Broadband Internet services, Television service, Local wireline and wireless telecommunication services
Website: www.verizon.com

General Information

Verizon Communications, Inc. (NYSE: VZ) is an American broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow 30. It was formed in 2000 when Bell Atlantic, one of the Regional Bell Operating Companies, merged with GTE, formerly the largest independent local exchange telephone company in the United States. Prior to its transformation into Verizon, Bell Atlantic had merged with another Regional Bell Operating Company, NYNEX, in 1997. The name is a portmanteau of veritas and horizon.

Verizon Services

Voice

Verizon provides several different types of land line services - standard POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) service as well as VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and optical fiber line services. In addition, Verizon offers long distance services. Verizon also offers a product that is a joint venture with Microsoft called 'Verizon Web Calling' A type of VoIP service used within Windows Live Messenger

Verizon VoiceWing

Verizon VoiceWing is a Voice over IP (VoIP) service offered by Verizon that offers phone service over a broadband Internet connection. A DSL, cable, or Verizon FiOS Internet connection, a regular telephone, a router, and a telephone adaptor are required for service.

Video

Verizon launched its FiOS Video service in Keller, Texas on September 22, 2005. FiOS TV uses an optical fiber network to deliver more than 330 total channels, more than 180 digital video and music channels more than 20 high-definition channels, and 1,800 video-on-demand titles.Verizon also provides DIRECTV service as well.

Data

Verizon provides DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) Internet service in many areas where it offers phone service. See Verizon Online DSL.

Verizon recently began offering FTTP (Fiber to the Premises, or Fiber to the Home) to some subscribers. Verizon calls this 'FiOS Internet'.

According to the non-profit spam monitoring organization Spamhaus, Verizon has the largest number of known spammers of all networks worldwide (as of August 2, 2007).