Verizon Wires 75 Percent of Southern Management's Communities With FiOS Services

VIENNA, Va. - Residents in more than 18,000 Southern Management apartment communities in Maryland and Virginia already have or will soon be enjoying the most advanced, fiber-optic-based telecommunications services in the market today.

Under an agreement with Southern Management, Verizon will bring its industry-leading entertainment and communications services, delivered over its all-fiber-optic network, to all of the company's approximately 24,000 residential apartments in Maryland and Virginia. 

"Residents in Southern Management's communities who have access to Verizon's FiOS services are in for an eye-popping treat," said Eric Cevis, vice president of Verizon Enhanced Communities, the company's business organization that markets and sells communications and entertainment services to single- and multiple-home properties. "Nationwide consumer surveys have concluded that FiOS delivers the best high-definition TV experience in the market today.

"FiOS will help to create a significant competitive differentiator for Southern Management's communities in the market," he added.  "Simply put, it matters which network is connected to your TV, computer and phone - and nothing is better than FiOS."

Southern Management Corporation is the largest privately owned residential property management company in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Virginia-based company has been in business for more than 40 years and provides apartment communities to residents including student, military and corporate housing. 

Ron Frank, President and COO of Southern Management, said, "At Southern Management our residents come first, so it made sense to make available Verizon's FiOS services.  Reliable and fast Internet service is a requirement in today's multi-tasking society, and our communities offer residents access to the latest technology on the market."

The deployment of FiOS at Southern Management's communities reflects the competitive advantage Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network offers companies in marketing their properties.

Verizon FiOS Internet service can deliver Internet access with maximum downstream connection speeds of up to 50 Mbps* (megabits per second).  At 50 Mbps, downloading a 1.2 GB (gigabyte), or 90-minute, standard-definition movie takes approximately 3.2 minutes. Upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps make it a snap to share purchased videos and files over Verizon's large-scale fiber-optic network that extends all the way to customers' homes or small and medium-sized businesses.

Verizon's FiOS Internet service was named the top pick this year in PC Magazine's readers' survey and also was named a winner in PC World Magazine's annual list of 100 Best Products.  It was the second year in a row the broadband service was named to both lists.

In addition, J.D. Power and Associates recently ranked FiOS TV the "Highest in Residential Television Service Satisfaction in the East Region," outperforming the competition when it comes to customer service. 

FiOS TV service is available in locations where Verizon has obtained a cable TV franchise. FiOS TV service offers a broad collection of all-digital programming, with more than 500 total channels, including more than 100 high-definition channels in Maryland and Virginia. FiOS TV also delivers 14,000 video-on-demand (VOD) titles per month, 70 percent of which are free.  In addition, the VOD library includes more than 1,200 HD VOD titles per month. 

Verizon is the only major telecom company whose network has earned the certification of the independent Fiber to the Home Council for providing fiber all the way to customers' homes.

Since the end of 2005, Verizon has aggressively pursued agreements with multifamily owners to bring FiOS to their communities. To date, Verizon FiOS is available to residents in more than 958,000 apartments across 16 states and the District of Columbia.

Residents at Southern Management apartment home communities interested in Verizon's FiOS services can visit www.verizon.com/fios or call 888-438-3467 for more information. 

To find a Southern Management apartment visit www.southernmanagement.com.

Property owners and developers interested to bring Verizon's FiOS services to their property can visit www.verizon.com/communities for more information.

* NOTE: Actual (throughput) speeds will vary.

About Southern Management Corporation
Southern Management Corporation (SMC) is the largest privately owned residential property company in the Mid-Atlantic region. The company owns and manages 70 apartment home communities comprising nearly 25,000 apartment homes throughout the Baltimore-Washington region. Southern Management Corporation is located at 1950 Old Gallows Rd., Suite 600, Vienna VA 22182; 703-902-2000; www.southernmanagement.com.