TelcoTV: Verizon Promises 100M FiOS, Facebook App

In a threesome of TelcoTV conference kickoff keynotes short on future plans and sneak peeks, Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) stole the morning by teasing faster FiOS Internet speeds, a Facebook application for FiOS TV, and upcoming targeted advertising.

FiOS Internet, which currently supports a max downstream speed of 50 mbps and upstream of 20, will eventually include a download speed of 100 mbps, according to John Harrobin, senior vice president of marketing and digital media at Verizon. “It’s clearly in sight,” he said, failing to elaborate.

Verizon has won industry acclaim for widely deploying its symmetric 20 mbps FiOS Internet access service, referred to as FiOS 20/20.

The mention may have been spurred by recent new network speeds and upgrades announced by Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) and powered by DOCSIS 3.0 channel bonding.

On the FiOS TV front: Harrobin said Verizon is developing an application that will enable customers to share their Facebook information, photos, etc. The widget – Verizon’s name for interactive apps that can be access while viewing TV – is currently in the labs. He did not provide a timeline for the offering.

Widgets are interactive items that users can click on for information, with FiOS widgets including local traffic and weather data. They are accessed via the remote. A Facebook capability would take widgets one step further than what’s available now.

His discussion of the changing ad industry landscape aside, Harrobin said advertisers will soon be able to buy customers instead of programs, thanks to “advances in set-top box ad insertion technology.”

“Users don’t hate advertisements,” the Verizon executive claimed. “They hate advertising that isn’t relevant to them.”

While he was short on specifics, Harrobin noted that Verizon has been deploying EBIF, a protocol that fuels true interactive TV, in its network.

“It’s an important step for reinventing TV,” he said of targeted advertising.

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