Verizon will soon bring to 16 additional Nassau County communities one of the most significant advancements in telecommunications technology in the past 100 years.

The company announced plans to build a fiber-optic network that will deliver faster data speeds, crystal clear voice -- and also has the capability to offer a full suite of video services in the future - to residence and business customers in: Flower Hill, Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Munsey Park, North Hills, Plandome, Plandome Heights, Plandome Manor, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock, Sands Point and Thomaston. The company will seek a franchise agreement from the local authority before offering cable service in a selected community.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime transformation of the communications network serving these communities," said Paul A. Crotty, Verizon state president for New York and Connecticut.

Known as fiber-to-the-premises, or FTTP, the fiber-optic network uses hair-thin strands of fiber and optical electronics to directly link homes and businesses to Verizon's network. The new network replaces the traditional copper-wire connections and will unleash a range of advanced communication services.

Although the use of fiber optics is common for long-distance and inter-city communications throughout the telecommunications industry, Verizon is one of the first major telecom companies to begin using it to directly connect homes and businesses to the network on a widespread scale.

Verizon is building its FTTP network in parts of 12 states: California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia.

The announcement brings to 29 the number of communities on Long Island in which the company has announced deployment of its FTTP network. The others identified to date are Cedarhurst, East Williston, Garden City, Hempstead, Hewlett Bay Park, Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck, Massapequa, Mineola, North Hempstead, Syosset, Williston Park and Woodsburgh.

To help build the network across the country, Verizon will hire between 3,000 and 5,000 new employees by the end of this year, including hundreds in New York. The cost to Verizon of building the network on Long Island was not disclosed.

Customer reaction to Verizon's new fiber-based Internet access service, called FiOS (FYE'-ose), has been very positive, with broadband subscribers more than doubling in the company's inaugural FiOS market of Keller, Texas, just outside Dallas/Fort Worth. Verizon will notify customers when FiOS is available locally.

There are three tiers of Verizon FiOS Internet Service for consumers, with downstream (download) speeds of up to 5, 15 and 30 Mbps (megabits per second) although actual speeds will vary.

* 5 Mbps (megabits per second) downstream and 2 Mbps upstream. Suited for Internet surfing and basic computer functions. $34.95 a month as part of a calling package, or $39.95 a month stand-alone.

* 15 Mbps downstream and 2 Mbps upstream. Appealing to families that have multiple computers and various needs such as media downloads and the ability to access or share large files. $44.95 a month as part of a calling package, or $49.95 a month stand-alone.

* 30 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream. Designed for communications-intensive power users with significant bandwidth needs, such as telecommuters or work-at-home households and avid online gamers. $179.95 a month as part of a calling package, or $199.95 a month stand-alone.

The FTTP initiative represents a natural extension of the more than 10 million miles of fiber-optic cable Verizon already has in place and extends the high capacity, speed and quality of fiber directly to the customer's doorstep. With FTTP technology, Verizon can easily add more capacity, higher speeds or video services in the future.

Verizon's digital subscriber line (DSL) service will remain the company's most widely available form of high-speed Internet access for the foreseeable future while the company ramps up FTTP deployment. The company offers DSL on a widespread basis throughout New York.