Verizon Stitches Mobile Phone Into Bundles
DSL Available In 26 States and D.C.; In 17 States For FiOS Internet Customers
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 6/17/2008 3:51:00 PM
Verizon Communications—responding to consumers who are giving up their landlines and using wireless as their primary voice service—rolled out a new double-play offer that combines broadband Internet and wireless on one bill.
The telco’s Flex Double Play bundle consists of any national Verizon Wireless calling plan of 450 minutes or greater and a FiOS Internet or DSL Internet service at 3 Megabits per second.
FiOS TV service, if available, can also be added to create a triple-play bundle. Verizon offers DSL in 26 states and Washington, D.C. FiOS Internet is available in 17 states, and FiOS TV is available in 13.
Verizon's One Bill system must be used with all Flex bundles, and consumers must commit to a one- or two-year contract depending on the package. Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon and Vodafone.
According to Verizon, customers can save money with the bundles.
For example, a 450-minute Verizon Wireless nationwide calling plan can be combined with a mid-tier FiOS Internet plan for a Flex double play starting at $84.99 monthly—about $13 per month less than unbundled prices. If FiOS TV is added to those two services, the triple-play bundle pricing starts at $124.99 per month ($15 off standalone pricing).
“This comprehensive bundle provides us greater flexibility to meet the evolving communication preferences of customers," Verizon Telecom president Virginia Ruesterholz said, in a statement. "Consumers who have chosen to use a wireless phone as their sole voice connection, or who are thinking about that, can now marry the industry's best networks for wireless, broadband Internet and television in one high-value Verizon bundle."
