It is no secret that we here at High Speed Experts have been impressed with Verizon FiOS broadband performance, but what truly amazes us is the fact that services such as Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse manage to continually innovate and change the way we look at service providers. This is due primarily to the fact that all of the data going to or from a property can be managed from a single, central point: the broadband connection. Verizon holds a significant lead in performance and future overhead thanks to its use of fiber optics. So, what will Verizon FiOS do with this overhead? Expand their feature offerings.
What is Next for FiOS Customers?
While most people might expect Verizon FiOS to expand its channel offerings or increase the percentage of HD channels in relation to its total number of channels, the truth is that Verizon may be attempting to break into uncharted territory with home security and home management offerings. Why is Verizon considering these services? If rumors are to be believed, the home energy management offerings should greatly increase the perception of Verizon as a green company and may also allow the company to compete for government grants and other programs relating to the smart(er) grid.
Being tied into the entertainment, communications, and electrical aspects of any given property sounds like the perfect way to introduce customers to security options as well. After all, having a home tied to a smart grid and super-fast broadband connection is great, but it would be even better if those two things could be used to alert the police whenever a prowler cuts the power to only a single house on the block, or send a light-speed signal for help whenever an alarm is tripped or panic button pushed.
Verizon Could Signal the Start of a New Smart Grid Push
When government programs get off to a slow start, it often helps to have a little helping hand from a single entity that shows others that the path is worth taking. Verizon could very well become this poster child, and it may not be long before people stop thinking of Verizon as communications-oriented company first, and a broadband/digital entertainment provider second. In fact, Verizon could soon become synonymous with the smart grid, and that could also reshape Verizon’s opportunities in markets that it has limited access to thus far.
The largest problem with deploying Verizon FiOS to new areas is that it costs a lot of money for Verizon to secure permits, hire work crews, and handle all of the political and legal legwork required to even start deploying fiber optics. With Big Metal standing in the way, Verizon’s attempt to tie its efforts into power-grid reform might prove to be an end run around anti-fiber obstructionists. Claiming that digging and deploying fiber is problematic is one thing, but standing in the way of both broadband and power reform is a very different issue altogether. If anything, those political bodies that continue to stay in Big Metal’s pocket will be more costly for it, and that will continue to tilt the balance in favor of affordable fiber optic options.
Why Smart Grid? Why Now?
The Smart Grid has been talked about for a long time and is comprised of many different aspects and ideas. One of the ideas that Verizon will probably use is the idea of a smart metering system. A smart meter can be used to monitor in real time the electrical usage of a property as well as the current projected price based on the going rate for power. Imagine a Verizon FiOS app that could show you real time savings based on how much money you could save my shutting off the lights in rooms that aren’t being used, or by learning how to use multi-zone temperature control systems. This level of interactivity does require constant updates and communications between the power grid, utility companies involved, and the end user. In the past, electricity traveling over wires would have carried this data at a price, but fiber optics can transmit data at a fraction of the cost of electricity, which makes FiOS and similar networks ideally suited to this particular task.
When it comes to the question of why reform needs to happen now, one only has to look at global events to realize that sooner or later there will be a struggler for fossil fuels. Hopefully that struggle will only be limited to politicians posturing, but the end result is that many researchers and experts believe that conservation needs to start immediately in order to give humanity enough time to find alternative power sources. The longer we wait, the fewer options we are likely to have when supplies start becoming scarce. A smart power grid not only reduces the chance of an all-out conflict, but it delays that potential crisis while simultaneously managing to reduce the nation’s dependence upon foreign supplies of fuel sources.
A system that could automatically dim and/or turn lights and appliances on and off, and manage a home remotely could save individual families anywhere from 10 to 15 percent according to experts. Knowing Verizon, we would expect a lot of additional features and customization options all made easy to manage via a web connection or set top box.
Security Too?
While power savings are certainly impressive, they may also be tied into the security functionality. If there is one thing that we find ourselves saying over and over again about Verizon FiOS services (and AT&T U-verse too) is that they are more than the sum of their parts; there is a fusion that occurs that is impressive, and we would expect to see that in the security system offered by the nation’s largest consumer-oriented 100% fiber optic network. With that said, there really is no end to the speculation as to just what security-related features will be available and how those figures will interact with other FiOS offerings. One thing is for sure: if Verizon does roll out a FiOS security plan, it will not a be a bolt-on option, but will obviously integrate with the other FiOS services.
