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Frontier Gives Acquired FiOS Users A Symmetrical Boost

Since the company acquired Verizon's FiOS customers in the Pacific Northwest and Indiana (and now Texas, Florida and California), Frontier has made it pretty clear -- just as Verizon did -- they have neither the money or willpower to expand this acquired fiber to the home footprint any further. In fact, it wasn't even clear the company wanted to continue to offer TV service to those users, if the massive out-of-the gate hikes Pacific Northwest customers saw were any indication.

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But on a positive note, Frontier today announced that the company will be making the connections of the users it acquired in the Pacific Northwest symmetrical. With this latest enhancement, the company will offer symmetrical speed tiers of 30/30, 50/50, 75/75, 100/100 and 150/150 Mbps.

Verizon made all of its FiOS tiers symmetrical in July of 2014. Frontier has yet to match the faster symmetrical 300 Mbps and symmetrical 500 Mbps tiers offered by Verizon.

"Customers have been demanding faster upload speeds for access to the cloud, gaming and streaming applications, and Frontier is committed to fulfilling those needs," said Vicky Oxley, Frontier Vice President and Washington General Manager. "This is something our competitors don’t offer."
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Zenit_IIfx
The system is the solution
Premium Member
join:2012-05-07
Purcellville, VA
·Comcast XFINITY

Zenit_IIfx

Premium Member

About Time

Frontier in the PNW was getting its butt kicked by Comcast due to the weak lopsided tiers - the competitive advantage of fiber over DOCSIS is the ability to offer huge upload speeds, and now that they are doing that I suppose the screams of agony from the remaining Verizon GTE customers being sold can quiet down.

Its about time they leveraged the competitive advantage of the fiber footprint they have.
MDrules
join:2014-02-24
Fort Wayne, IN

MDrules

Member

Fort Wayne

This also includes Fort Wayne IN.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

Re: Fort Wayne

I had forgotten about them, thanks. Any recollection how many users in Indiana that was?
Bob61571
join:2008-08-08
Washington, IL

1 edit

Bob61571

Member

Re: Fort Wayne

Cannot find the old 2010 FiOS subscriber stats from the VZ acquisition. But, all should remember the problems that Frontier had the first year after VZ acquisition. FTR appeared to be suggesting that FiOS users ditch FiOS video for satellite instead. They ended up losing 10K + FiOS subscribers. Comcast even ran ads and commercials telling people that FTR was giving up on FiOS video.

Found old 2010 story that VZ was selling total of 69K FiOS subscribers to FTR then.

Also, don't forget the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area(part of the earlier 2010 Verizon territory buyout) that only has Frontier FiOS Internet available. No video/no phone.

TIGERON
join:2008-03-11
Boston, MA
Motorola MG7550

TIGERON

Member

in an email from Maggie Wilderotter

I emailed outgoing CEO Maggie Wilderotter last night asking her about AT&T & Verizon exiting the fixed wireline business and about g.fast DSL technology and here is her response from earlier today :

"we are not planning on purchasing the ATT wireline/DSL business in California at this time. We have a pending acquisition with Verizon to purchase all of their California assets. I appreciate your feedback on our company and we will look into the technology you mentioned. Sincerely, Maggie"

Maggie Wilderotter
Chairman and CEO
Frontier Communications
3 High Ridge Park
Stamford, CT 06905

Apparently even she most likely is not fully aware of g.fast.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72

Member

Re: in an email from Maggie Wilderotter

Do you think that any major telco is going to deploy G.fast?

Not to be snarky, but I don't see a pouring of capital into something that will require more DSLAMs, new equipment and multiple tidy copper pairs, esp w/ a lot of these guys snaking out of mandatory POTS. Maybe AT&T, but I don't know. Frontier has lots of debt to burn off. Centurylink, Hmm. Verizon, not a chance.

TIGERON
join:2008-03-11
Boston, MA

TIGERON

Member

Re: in an email from Maggie Wilderotter

Don't underestimate Wilderotter or the new CEO coming in McCarthy. They are smart people. They would be foolish not to look into this.
ohreally
join:2014-11-21

ohreally to elefante72

Member

to elefante72
Not American, but BT (UK) is seriously considering it.

If they actually do it, I'll know they're utterly insane. It makes no sense except maybe for fibre-to-the-building type deployments (but then maybe you could just use plain Ethernet). If you're going to run fibre to the pole 10 metres from my house, you might as well keep going rather than deal with putting expensive, sensitive electronics everywhere that use an unproven technology and still have a distance-speed relationship
BlueC
join:2009-11-26
Minneapolis, MN

BlueC to elefante72

Member

to elefante72
Keep in mind there is both G.fast and G.hn, they're similar but not the same.

It will be interesting to see what gets most widely adopted. I've personally tested G.hn over coax (RG6) at a distance of 150ft-200ft. It can achieve around 700-800mbps FD.

TIGERON
join:2008-03-11
Boston, MA
Motorola MG7550

TIGERON

Member

Re: in an email from Maggie Wilderotter

I've looked up information on G.hn and from what I understand one advantage that it has over G.fast is that it can work with copper, coaxial and even wireless with even less configuration than what G.fast requires. I'll have to look into it a lot more.

OpTiC
Premium Member
join:2014-03-08
West Covina, CA

OpTiC to TIGERON

Premium Member

to TIGERON
said by TIGERON:

I emailed outgoing CEO Maggie Wilderotter last night asking her about AT&T & Verizon exiting the fixed wireline business and about g.fast DSL technology and here is her response from earlier today :

"we are not planning on purchasing the ATT wireline/DSL business in California at this time. We have a pending acquisition with Verizon to purchase all of their California assets. I appreciate your feedback on our company and we will look into the technology you mentioned. Sincerely, Maggie"

Maggie Wilderotter
Chairman and CEO
Frontier Communications
3 High Ridge Park
Stamford, CT 06905

Apparently even she most likely is not fully aware of g.fast.

Let Century Link do it. Froniter can barely handle the load in Connecticut. Once Frontier gets 300/300 I am going Frontier.

TIGERON
join:2008-03-11
Boston, MA
Motorola MG7550

TIGERON

Member

Re: in an email from Maggie Wilderotter

However you feel about Frontier the reality is that copper networks exist, are everywhere, are quite valuable and have proven to be quite redundant and reliable. We CANNOT outright abandon them. If implementing newer technologies to take advantage or make the copper wire lines more efficient I am all for G.fast or G.hn or BOTH.

Keep in mind that even though Frontier is in debt (also Fairpoint and Windstream) they have the backing of the U.S. government. Otherwise many of these recent deals and acquisitions from the giant telecoms AT&T and Verizon would not have been approved to begin with.

Service may not be great in all areas right now, but they working to improve it.

OpTiC
Premium Member
join:2014-03-08
West Covina, CA

OpTiC

Premium Member

Re: in an email from Maggie Wilderotter

said by TIGERON:

However you feel about Frontier the reality is that copper networks exist, are everywhere, are quite valuable and have proven to be quite redundant and reliable. We CANNOT outright abandon them. If implementing newer technologies to take advantage or make the copper wire lines more efficient I am all for G.fast or G.hn or BOTH.

Keep in mind that even though Frontier is in debt (also Fairpoint and Windstream) they have the backing of the U.S. government. Otherwise many of these recent deals and acquisitions from the giant telecoms AT&T and Verizon would not have been approved to begin with.

Service may not be great in all areas right now, but they working to improve it.

Trust me they can't keep up in terms of speed in WV. To be fair they purchase a piece of junk from Verizon.

TIGERON
join:2008-03-11
Boston, MA
Motorola MG7550

TIGERON

Member

Re: in an email from Maggie Wilderotter

Exactly.

I've heard horror stories from guys that were employees of both Verizon and AT&T. One guy told me that one CO he was working in Verizon had old outdated no-working equipment from the 1950s that they refused to get rid of simply because it cost too much money. The junk was next to the newer hardware that the DSL was currently running on. Another guy told me that AT&T has let the copper lines just rot and refused to replace them.

Frontier is well aware they were screwed in WV. But again they are trying to improve service. I don't blame them.

I hate Verizon and AT&T. Both are greedy companies. Both have made healthy profits just last year alone.

They don't get it that wireless is not reliable and not feasible compared to fixed wireline.
TIGERON

TIGERON to OpTiC

Member

to OpTiC
Say what you will but Frontier will have the last laugh.

OpTiC
Premium Member
join:2014-03-08
West Covina, CA

OpTiC

Premium Member

Re: in an email from Maggie Wilderotter

said by TIGERON:

Say what you will but Frontier will have the last laugh.

My area is going from Verizon to Frontier. If you give AT&T CA to Frontier they will ruin gigabit service in SF,SD,SJ, and LA. Please do your research. If AT&T sells CA to Cl they will for sure deploy atleast 20/5 dsl maybe 40/20.

TIGERON
join:2008-03-11
Boston, MA
Motorola MG7550

TIGERON

Member

Re: in an email from Maggie Wilderotter

Last I checked CenturyLink has no plans to enter California. Also, the area I live in there is NO gigabit service. I get either AT&T capped DSL at 6megs or Comcast cable which is expensive, throttled, and unreliable. And I'm 7.4 miles from downtown San Francisco. Even Sonic.net CEO Dane Jasper will not invest in the area I live in. Frontier or CenturyLink can't be much worse.
packergeek
join:2014-09-10

packergeek

Member

Still getting 30/5

Is there a timeline for this to actually happen?
lawpdx
join:2014-04-16
Portland, OR

lawpdx

Member

Re: Still getting 30/5

I have 15/5.

darcilicious
Cyber Librarian
Premium Member
join:2001-01-02
Forest Grove, OR
·Ziply Fiber

darcilicious

Premium Member

Re: Still getting 30/5

said by lawpdx:

I have 15/5.

Make that phone call and turn that into a !!

user123432
@frontiernet.net

user123432 to packergeek

Anon

to packergeek
I upgraded today...

OpTiC
Premium Member
join:2014-03-08
West Covina, CA

OpTiC to packergeek

Premium Member

to packergeek
said by packergeek:

Is there a timeline for this to actually happen?

You need to call in to upgrade like Verizon.
atigerman
join:2002-01-19
Tigerton, WI

atigerman

Member

two tin cans and a string

I'd just be happy for the upgrade of my remotes backhaul from congested T1's to Gig-E!

Modus
I hate smartassery on forums
Premium Member
join:2005-05-02
us

1 recommendation

Modus

Premium Member

Why

If they neither the money or willpower to expand this acquired fiber to the home footprint any further then why is vz selling it? and why is frontier buying?
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

1 recommendation

tmc8080

Member

10 BILLION dollars

wait, they do apparently have more money lying around as they are bound to acquire Texas, Flordia and California assets.. but to actually DO THE RIGHT thing.. nope.. dead broke... you just can't win with an industry full of greedy scum

if the public can't figure out it's a scheme by now, then they just don't have any common sense! corrupt municipalities are getting what they deserve if they let these deals screw the public over for yet another year!

pjsutton
join:2013-06-25
Kempton, PA

pjsutton

Member

Wow!

This is really interesting news for all those involved.

I have to wonder how Frontier is affording this, since they don't have their own backbone. Unless perhaps they are working towards their own backbone and no one knows it?

clara80
join:2012-02-15
Rochester, NY

clara80

Member

Re: Wow!

I can assure you Frontier has their own backbone and actually a very competent group of engineers running it. I should know as I worked with them extensively when my company turned up several metro-e connections and a L3VPN service. We demanded very detailed diagrams of their network and I came away impressed, which doesn't happen often.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT
·Frontier FiberOp..
Asus RT-AC68

BiggA

Premium Member

Desperate like Verizon

They can't keep up with downstream speeds because of the limits of MoCA and installing Ethernet is every house is too expensive, so they do their stupid "half-fast" thing. It's sad because their infrastructure can deliver symmetrical gig.

Virtually all consumers would be better served by something like TWC's 300/20 package than a symmetrical 75 or 150mbps.
wasvznowftr
join:2010-07-13
00000

wasvznowftr

Member

Re: Desperate like Verizon

MoCA is still being supported, but no longer installed. It's been replaced with HPNA.

All FiOS installs for the first few years were Ethernet over cat5 wiring. It can be done again.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT
·Frontier FiberOp..
Asus RT-AC68

BiggA

Premium Member

Re: Desperate like Verizon

No it hasn't. MoCA is as strong as ever. They may move to MoCA 2.0 or install over Ethernet. HPNA doesn't work with a QAM system like Verizon uses. AT&T uses HPNA for U-Verse, but it's worse off bandwidth wise compared to MoCA.

I am well aware it can be done, but it's expensive to roll a truck for every idiot who can't handle installing a CAT-5 cable.
wasvznowftr
join:2010-07-13
00000

wasvznowftr

Member

Re: Desperate like Verizon

said by BiggA:

I am well aware it can be done, but it's expensive to roll a truck for every idiot who can't handle installing a CAT-5 cable.

Don't quite know where to start here. First off, calling someone an idiot because they don't install their own wire is ridiculous - whether they have the skill or not is ridiculous.

Not everyone just runs wires down the hall in their mom's basement.

I meant that MoCA is no longer being utilized by Frontier on the WAN side from the ONT to the router. All new installs utilize HPNA over coax. Period.

And HPNA is absolutely compatible with "QAM systems". Frontier - like Verizon uses QAM for the RF video broadcast.
So yes, QAM modulated RF for the digital video, HPNA data for the WAN side of the home network, and MoCA on the LAN side for set top boxes - all over the same coaxial cable.

•••
claibourne
join:2011-07-04
Garland, TX

claibourne

Member

Telcos are dead.

I wish I was wrong, but I'm afraid I'm not. Let's be realistic. The telcos are dead. Dead and buried. Verizon wouldn't expand FiOS, even though they could. Frontier won't, because they can't. The more Verizon properties they buy, the less they'll be able to compete.

Get used to it. The cable companies are the only viable wired broadband option still standing.