Fiber-Optic Technology – Enhancing Lives and Powering Innovation in the Nation’s Capital

The District of Columbia is getting closer to its goal of becoming a major technology hub, as Verizon deploys new fiber-optic technology that is rapidly changing lives for the better.

Verizon will completely build out its all-fiber network in the District within the next five years. The bandwidth, or data capacity, that fiber provides will help power the District’s economy and technology aspirations well into the 21th century – and pave the way for greater broadband adoption, particularly as the Internet of Things evolves.

Already, the technology has led to massive improvements in the way physicians treat and interact with their patients and in the way educators teach and students learn. And businesses are locating in areas of the city where fiber has been deployed because the technology provides the bandwidth these companies need to drive innovation.

Here are a few key reasons why fiber-optics technology, which is the transmission of pulses of light through very fine, flexible glass or plastic fibers, is exactly what D.C. will need for decades to come. 

• Fiber is more reliable. Water and lightning do not affect the technology. If a fiber cable is cut or severed, it can be repaired or replaced much faster than a damaged copper cable. Fiber is more versatile and advanced than the traditional copper network.
• Fiber can handle increased speeds and bandwidth. The Verizon fiber experience remains second to none because our 100 percent fiber-optic technology is a network ahead. Fiber customers get an excellent experience for today’s digital lifestyle, which includes streaming favorite TV shows and movies, uploading photos to the Web, running multiple online devices in the home, downloading large amounts of data, video chatting and online gaming. Plus, fiber provides high-definition picture quality.
• Fiber-optic technology can keep up with the demands of D.C. residents and businesses for generations to come.