Verizon's Lower Manhattan Fiber Project Progresses

NEW YORK – Less than seven weeks after Hurricane Sandy, Verizon has finalized another important step in the transformation of the communications infrastructure of lower Manhattan by completing the installation of fiber-optic cables between the company’s two critical local central switching offices and buildings put out of service by the storm surge.

The completion of the fiber-installation phase of the project – with more than 5,000 miles of fiber strands already in place - enables Verizon to dramatically modernize communications capabilities for customers as it restores services to the businesses and office buildings in lower Manhattan that were impacted by the hurricane. Once the project is complete, the area will have the nation’s most advanced communications infrastructure, providing customers with the highest level of service and reliability. Furthermore, the modernization project will make lower Manhattan “future-proof,” enabling Verizon to continually update the communications infrastructure with new capabilities for decades to come.

“The work Verizon is doing now will make us a smarter, faster, better-connected city and region,” said Mitchell Moss, Henry Hart Rice Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at New York University. “These repairs will actually lay the groundwork for a new era of growth and higher efficiency, which will benefit everyone.”

During the restoration process, Verizon has provided alternate communications solutions to thousands of small businesses and residential customers in the area and elsewhere around the metro area to get them back in business and their communications flowing.

Working with Building Owners
While the company has been installing the robust fiber infrastructure, it is also working with landlords as they ready their properties for the return of tenants. The reconstruction of telecom rooms – frequently relocated to upper floors – power, and access to those rooms are on the critical path to the restoration of communications services.

As building owners and managers complete these steps, Verizon is rapidly completing the work of connecting the newly laid fiber to new electronic systems and turning up service. The steps these building owners are taking, in conjunction with the new fiber infrastructure from Verizon, will provide additional protection for the communications infrastructure in lower Manhattan in the event of future large-scale weather events.