A new amendment to the City’s cable contract will bring the Verizon fiber network Fios to the Charlestown in the coming year, Mayor Martin Walsh announced on Tuesday.
Building on the partnership formed in 2016, Verizon will expand its local wireless network speed and capacity to its local 4G LTE network, expand Fios internet and cable television to all neighborhoods in Boston, including Charlestown, and collaborate with Boston on Smart Communities solutions.
“Our partnership with Verizon reflects one goal: to make sure all of Boston’s residents have access to the most advanced digital technology both now, and in the future,” said Mayor Walsh. “We’re making sure Boston is the best digital city in the nation, and through partnerships with companies like Verizon, residents will have better, more affordable options, as we work together to create inclusive growth for our city.”
These technology enhancements are in addition to Verizon’s original $300 million investment to build a 100 percent fiber-optic network platform across Boston. Verizon and the City of Boston are amending the existing TV license agreement to expand Fios TV services. More than half the homes in Boston now have access to this all-fiber network, and Fios service is already available in Dorchester, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury, Seaport, South Boston and West Roxbury.
The new amendment will enable Fios TV expansion as the fiber network is built in Charlestown, South Boston, South End, Allston, Brighton, Back Bay, East Boston, Fenway and Downtown.
The expansion of Verizon’s wireless small cell network now almost doubles that investment to nearly $600 million total. Verizon will also be contributing $1 million over eight years to the Boston Digital Equity Fund to help support programs that provide affordable access to broadband to underserved residents.
Under an a new 10-year wireless agreement, Verizon will significantly expand its wireless small cell network throughout the city to bring more speed and capacity to its existing 4G LTE network.
The City of Boston will provide Verizon with a streamlined permitting process for the installation of new small cells and Verizon plans to provide a host of Verizon Smart Communities products and services that will enable Boston to achieve efficiencies in areas such as traffic management, safety and energy efficiency.
Verizon today also announced further plans regarding its long-term lease of more than 450,000 square feet for its technology workforce at The Hub on Causeway. Verizon’s presence at the Hub on Causeway will include 16 floors of innovatively designed space, of which, five floors will be reserved for incubators, accelerators, and partners.
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