Verizon has launched new TV spots that tout Fios’s “100% fiber optic network” while taking a few jabs at its cable competition.
“Fios is not cable. We’re wired differently,” the ad proclaims. “We are a 100% fiber-optic network…and fiber-optic networks move at the speed of light.”
The ad then talks up some of the awards that Fios has racked up, including the top ratings for Internet speed from PC Magazine, and J.D. Power customer service ratings. It later brings up Fios’s symmetrical broadband capabilities, something that the cable industry is looking to match with a proposed “Full Duplex” capability for DOCSIS 3.1, a new multi-gigabit platform for HFC networks.
Watch the ad below:
Verizon’s all-fiber claims in the new ad might grab the attention of rival Cablevision Systems, which has previously filed lawsuits challenging ads from the telco that claim that Fios uses 100% fiber optics, because the service, for example, relies on coax (via MoCA) for distribution in the customer’s home.
But Verizon claims its new ads highlight the difference between Fios and cable offerings.
“The new TV spots are intended to do one thing: make it clear to cable customers that there is a difference between Fios and cable,” Tami Erwin, Verizon’s senior vice president and group president, consumer and mass business sales and service, said in a statement. “Our Fios network is based on superior fiber optic technology, which means only our customers enjoy upload speeds as fast as download speeds at a better price than cable can offer. On top of that, our Fios network has been recognized by the leading customer satisfaction surveys year after year. That’s something we’re very proud of.”
