Verizon FiOS: 150/35 Mbps tier launched; I'll take it (eventually)

A little fiber optic cable with a lot of speed.

Verizon FiOS has launched a new speed tier with 150 megabits per second downstream and 35 megabits up.

Now I'm not quite sure what I'd do with all that horsepower, but I'll take it. Fortunately, I can at least realistically ponder it. In a blog post, Verizon did a little chest thumping. GigaOm's Stacey Higginbotham mourned since she's stuck in the first generation DOCIS world. Since I have the FiOS fiber pumping into my house, I'm glad the option is there.

When I had FiOS installed, I talked a long time with the tech during my installation in 2007 (gallery). For Verizon, it's all about future proofing. Comcast and Cablevision can talk about network upgrades and Verizon can flip a switch and match or beat it. It's pretty powerful stuff.

Will I get 150/35 Mbps service? Probably not now, but the possibilities are interesting once pricing comes down (it's $194.99 a month with voice service). FiOS is looking to corner Comcast and Cablevisions. Download speeds on FiOS are going to be 50 percent faster. Verizon claims a 200 percent advantage over Time Warner Cable.

Verizon said "the majority of our FiOS-eligible residential customers get first crack at the new super speed offer, and we’ll start selling it to our small business customers by the end of the year."

The possibilities for FiOS' new tier are notable. Verizon touted high-def movie downloads, but things like easier cloud backup service (it takes forever to upload and download) may be more of a sell for the techies in the house.

A final note: Verizon said its new speeds change broadband in America. The reality is that Verizon doesn't have the market coverage to do it. Verizon has 3.3 million FiOS Internet subscribers.