Verizon has started building its fiber-to-the-home network in Philadelphia, and the telco expects to light up the first FiOS customers later this year in Comcast's hometown.
The Philadelphia city council and mayor approved Verizon's cable TV franchise with the city in February.
Verizon expects that when network construction is completed in 2016, it will be able to offer FiOS service to about 660,000 households including living units in apartment buildings.
The first fiber for FiOS will be laid in Chestnut Hill, followed by other neighborhoods including Brewerytown, East and West Mount Airy, South Philadelphia and Kensington, according to Verizon. About 500 workers will be dedicated to building out the FiOS network in the city.
In an April 8 event to mark the start of construction, 100 employees and local dignitaries joined Jim O'Rourke, Verizon senior vice president of customer operations for Pennsylvania and Delaware at the telco's State Road work center, which houses some of the employees who will build and maintain the network.
