User:VZBob/Lines of business

Verizon Communications' operations are divided into three business units: wireless, residential and small business services, and enterprise services.

Wireless

Main article: Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless provides mobile phone, text message, and data services for phones, tablets, and computers, as well as wireless hotspot devices. As of September of 2013, Verizon Wireless had 101.2 million wireless connections, and its 4G LTE network covered over 303 million people. In a September 2013 survey conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, Verizon Wireless was rated as having the highest network quality amongst national providers across all six geographic regions of the U.S., marking the first time any provider has come in first in all regions since the study switched to a regional format in 2004.

Also in September of 2013, it was announced that Verizon would buy the remaining stake that Vodafone owned in Verizon Wireless, which had been a joint venture between the two companies, for $130 billion. Upon the closing of the deal in the first quarter of 2014, it will be the third largest corporate deal ever signed. Soon after the deal was announced, a shareholder sued Verizon, claiming that they overpaid for Vodafone's share of the venture.

Residential and small business

Verizon provides wireline phone service, Internet access, and television to residences and small businesses, via either copper wire or fiber optic cable.

Verizon's FiOS service, launched in 2005, provides Internet, television, and phone service using fiber optic cable instead of copper wire. FiOS cable passes near 18 million homes, of which 14.6 million are completely ready for service; the other 3.4 million homes would require some additional wiring to support FiOS. As of September of 2013, Verizon had a total of 5.9 million FiOS Internet subscribers and 5.2 million FiOS TV customers, with FiOS accounting for 75% of Verizon's revenues from fixed-line consumer retail. In September of 2013, Verizon announced that FiOS TV subscribers would be able to watch some television channels live on their mobile devices.

In areas where Verizon has installed FiOS service, the copper wires, which are more expensive to maintain, are removed. This prevents a customer who has switched to FiOS from switching back to services provided by copper wires, such as DSL service.

Verizon operates landline services in 12 states (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Texas, California) and Washington, D.C.

Enterprise

Verizon Enterprise Solutions, known as Verizon Business from 2006 to 2011, provides services for wholesale, corporate, and government clients. Enterprise Solutions provides a cloud-based platform to deliver IT, security, mobility, and collaboration solutions to customers. It supports service in 75 countries, and has a global IP network that reaches more than 150 countries, with 99 percent of Fortune 500 companies using Verizon Enterprise Solutions.

In October of 2013, Verizon announced Verizon Cloud, a platform as a service offering that allows for the fast deployment of virtual machines for customers, as well as control of the configuration of those virtual machines.

Verizon Partner Program

In February of 2013, Verizon launched the Verizon Partner Program, which consolidated a number of previous programs for resale agents and other indirect sales channels into a single program. There are four levels of membership in the program—Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Member—each offering a different level of benefits and requirements. The program also offers three business models: Agent, Resale, and Sell With, with each representing a different relationship with Verizon. Agent lets participants make sales on Verizon's behalf, resale allows business to repackage and market Verizon's services, and Sell With lets vendors partner with Verizon to sell their own products in conjunction with Verizon's.