Verizon announced it has completed a real-world field test of its fiber-optic FiOS network in which it pumped data at nearly 1Gbps speeds to an existing business customer subscribed to their gigabit passive optical network (GPON). The test involved running a separate fiber connection and gauging its speed using a local server as well as a server that was 400 miles away. Verizon claims the link topped at a 925Mbps to the local server and 800Mbps to the remote server.
What's more, the customer's existing FiOS service was left in place, and showed no degradation in the voice, data or video services during the trial according to the carrier. Verizon's platform can theoretically support up to 2.4Gbps downstream and 1.2Gbps upstream speeds. Because capacity is shared on the GPON node, real-life speeds are often significantly slower than theoretical maximums, but the demonstration still served to show that today's FiOS equipment can support higher bandwidth than those currently on offer without major changes to the network.
Verizon executives said the faster-speed services should allow the company to eventually offer a slew of new services that demand high-capacity network connections, such as "3DTV, ultra HDTV, multiplayer gaming and HD video conferencing." Verizon FiOS customers shouldn't expect this sort of speeds any time soon, though. The current offering will cost you $145 per month and tops at 50Mbps for downloads and 20Mbps for uploads.