Does any other phone company have fios tv plan?

Richard Fuller

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Oct 31, 2003
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I figured I might as well ask here you guys might know does any of the other phone companies plan to offer fios internet and tv? I live in a Sprint/Embarq area and would love to get a service similar to verizon fios.
 
I believe AT&T runs fiber to the neighborhood and uses copper to each house. Not as good as Fios (which runs fiber to each house), but cheaper for AT&T.
 
I believe AT&T runs fiber to the neighborhood and uses copper to each house. Not as good as Fios (which runs fiber to each house), but cheaper for AT&T.

Define "not as good" I mean you the user will not notice the differnce.. I understand the "technical disadvantage" but it will not be noticeable by the user.. Just like Copper Cable networks are not "noticeable" Cable networks run fiber to the neighborhoods then use copper cable to goto the house, just like ATT...
 
Thanks guys but unfortunately I live in a Sprint/Embarq area. Would another phone company like Verizon or AT&T be allowed to operate in another phone companies area?
 
I live in an EMBARQ area and no luck. EMBARQ is re-selling DISH service for now.

I would expect EMBARQ to move into this field once Verizon and AT&T have tested it out fully and made it work with little cost per customer like DSL.

The good news is EMBARQ has a pretty good fiber network and the upgrading time would be lessened compared to Verizon and AT&T which have larger networks and some areas needed big time upgrades.
 
Define "not as good" I mean you the user will not notice the differnce.. I understand the "technical disadvantage" but it will not be noticeable by the user.. Just like Copper Cable networks are not "noticeable" Cable networks run fiber to the neighborhoods then use copper cable to goto the house, just like ATT...

Not as good:

Limit on how many HD streams one can watch. No problem with that on FIOS!

Since it's copper to the home, internet package speeds pale in comparison to FIOS!

Those are two factors that I feel make it a "not as good" solution. Regardless it's a step in the right direction for AT&T.
 
The HDTV channels on AT&T IPTV system are also lower quality. They recompress their feeds with a substantially lower bit rate / resolution, much like DirecTV does with its "HDTV Lite."
 
Define "not as good" I mean you the user will not notice the differnce.. I understand the "technical disadvantage" but it will not be noticeable by the user.. Just like Copper Cable networks are not "noticeable" Cable networks run fiber to the neighborhoods then use copper cable to goto the house, just like ATT...

As the two preceeding posters noted, the user most certainly will notice. I note your choice of the phrases "you the user" and "not be noticeable by the user..." I gather your employer has something to do with this copper to the home scheme.
 
Thanks guys but unfortunately I live in a Sprint/Embarq area. Would another phone company like Verizon or AT&T be allowed to operate in another phone companies area?

No, Verizon is not going to move into a Sprint area. Yet. I understand from someone who is about to be laid off that Sprint/Nextel is about to lay off about 5,000 employees and has lost approximately 350,000 customers over the last 3 months. So don't worry, somebody may buy out Sprint, or part of it and open up your options.
 
Define "not as good" I mean you the user will not notice the differnce.. I understand the "technical disadvantage" but it will not be noticeable by the user.. Just like Copper Cable networks are not "noticeable" Cable networks run fiber to the neighborhoods then use copper cable to goto the house, just like ATT...
Apparently, Verizon's system works like cable in that all channels are running into your home in real time all the time. With ATT, you are "downloading" only the streams that you are watching at any one time. This is why ATT U-Verse is limited to only 1 or 2 streams of HD into a household at one time. (There are conflicting reports of the actual limit, 1 or 2.) This means that even in the best case you could not watch HD on more than 2 TV's, or watch/record more than 2 HD shows at a time in the same house. That is a MAJOR limitation compared to Verizon's FiOS.
 
As the two preceeding posters noted, the user most certainly will notice. I note your choice of the phrases "you the user" and "not be noticeable by the user..." I gather your employer has something to do with this copper to the home scheme.

Well we run copper to the home and through the neighborhoods I work for the local Cable tv service "Bright House Networks"

I understand the capcity differnce between fiber/copper. I just dont think the end user at this time will notice the differnce between the two except on the internet side.. As far as tv goes, cant make much of an argument to defend either.. Internet though with the implatation of the new DOCSIS software, and new "split node" technology cable companies are able to offer the speeds equal to that of FIOS.. (some cable companies already offer up to 30MB/speed i think comcast was the first to do this. and TWC in new york has similar plans)... Its like saying the differnce between hddvd and bluray.. Their are "technical differnces" but nothing an end user should jump about.. The very tech savvy people will move to FIOS, and those who hate the DS/cable companies will move.. Tech people because "fiber to the house sounds good"
 
Apparently, Verizon's system works like cable in that all channels are running into your home in real time all the time. With ATT, you are "downloading" only the streams that you are watching at any one time. This is why ATT U-Verse is limited to only 1 or 2 streams of HD into a household at one time. (There are conflicting reports of the actual limit, 1 or 2.) This means that even in the best case you could not watch HD on more than 2 TV's, or watch/record more than 2 HD shows at a time in the same house. That is a MAJOR limitation compared to Verizon's FiOS.

ohh I didnt know that about ATT.. Well then take my post as fiso vs cable dont include att :) If thats the case the ATT sucks.. ;)
 
No, Verizon is not going to move into a Sprint area. Yet. I understand from someone who is about to be laid off that Sprint/Nextel is about to lay off about 5,000 employees and has lost approximately 350,000 customers over the last 3 months. So don't worry, somebody may buy out Sprint, or part of it and open up your options.
Sprint "spun off" wire lines..( much like Verizon has started to do in the New England Region).. Sprint Local Service is Called Embarq.. The New "verizon" local service company in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont will be called "Fairpoint Communications"..So Verizon is only gonna put Fio in populated areas and spin the rest of the company to "Fairpoint"

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070116/verizon_spinoff.html?.v=4
 
Oh, I have a cable modem now, because it is my only choice, save for Wild Blue. So I know the difference between "marketing" and "service." My connection is wonderful- off and on. I definitely know when others in the neighborhood log on.

And it is not unusual for me to be recording multiple streams at once, on my 3 DVRs, including HD streams. I don't see any system limiting a household to one or two HD streams as being competitive with Fios or satellite.
 
StevenL I respect you greatly but if you don't even know the difference between the bandwidth a copper phone cable can carry compared to a coax RG6 cable than I'm sorry you don't belong in your field. I'm assuming you made a mistake and were thinking copper and coax as one. Coax cables can carry far far far and I mean far more data compared to copper phone lines.

Also the current AT&T fiber to the node system from what I hear can only handle two total HD streams per home and those streams are even more down-rezzed than the worst DirecTV MPEG2 HD channel. Just one HD DVR box that is a dual-tuner box will take all of your TV bandwidth for your entire home if your recording/watching two HD channels. This means that if you have service in two rooms (one HD DVR and one single tuner digital box) and you record two live HD shows on the DVR you can't watch anything on the other digital box until one of those two HD shows gets done. Its very common in my home for both HD DVR boxes to be recording four live HD streams and soon two HD DVRs will be the norm but even for now its quite common for a customer to have one HD DVR and another SD DVR box and as we know that SD DVR box is worthless if your recording two live HD shows on the HD DVR. Sorry but this service is even more worthless than any TV offering available over what the last 20 years. This service would be great for a four room home that just has four basic digital boxes (no DVR nor HD service at all). Beyond that if a customer wants an HD DVR I just can't wait for that phone call when AT&T must tell that customer sorry but you can only watch two HD shows at a time with nothing else no matter what it is. Sorry that doesn't seem like it has any future at all.

The only bright side is that its not an entire waste of money because nearly all of those upgrades needed to be done to go fiber all the way to each home. Also FIOS isn't like the ipod or Tivo in that its the same but people buy the name. It just so happens that FIOS today has the most bandwidth of any company period. That isn't to say cable is far behind because cable is very close to FIOS but come on AT&T has to catch up to satellite before they can even dream about competing with any cable company even the worst and smallest cable companies.
 
StevenL I respect you greatly but if you don't even know the difference between the bandwidth a copper phone cable can carry compared to a coax RG6 cable than I'm sorry you don't belong in your field. I'm assuming you made a mistake and were thinking copper and coax as one. Coax cables can carry far far far and I mean far more data compared to copper phone lines.

Also the current AT&T fiber to the node system from what I hear can only handle two total HD streams per home and those streams are even more down-rezzed than the worst DirecTV MPEG2 HD channel. Just one HD DVR box that is a dual-tuner box will take all of your TV bandwidth for your entire home if your recording/watching two HD channels. This means that if you have service in two rooms (one HD DVR and one single tuner digital box) and you record two live HD shows on the DVR you can't watch anything on the other digital box until one of those two HD shows gets done. Its very common in my home for both HD DVR boxes to be recording four live HD streams and soon two HD DVRs will be the norm but even for now its quite common for a customer to have one HD DVR and another SD DVR box and as we know that SD DVR box is worthless if your recording two live HD shows on the HD DVR. Sorry but this service is even more worthless than any TV offering available over what the last 20 years. This service would be great for a four room home that just has four basic digital boxes (no DVR nor HD service at all). Beyond that if a customer wants an HD DVR I just can't wait for that phone call when AT&T must tell that customer sorry but you can only watch two HD shows at a time with nothing else no matter what it is. Sorry that doesn't seem like it has any future at all.

The only bright side is that its not an entire waste of money because nearly all of those upgrades needed to be done to go fiber all the way to each home. Also FIOS isn't like the ipod or Tivo in that its the same but people buy the name. It just so happens that FIOS today has the most bandwidth of any company period. That isn't to say cable is far behind because cable is very close to FIOS but come on AT&T has to catch up to satellite before they can even dream about competing with any cable company even the worst and smallest cable companies.

Ya i misunderstood how att was working.. Thats why I rebutted my statement after i figured it out.. :) Everyone can miss something now and again, I always admit when Im wrong :) I surely wasnt thinking twisted pair cables.. My word...

"ohh I didnt know that about ATT.. Well then take my post as fiso vs cable dont include att If thats the case the ATT sucks.. "
 

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