Verizon FiOS Quantum Outs New 500 Mbps Internet Tier

It's been just over a year since Verizon unveiled FiOS Quantum, a new feature in Verizon's fiber optics offering that allows for even faster download speeds than the company's initial FiOS service. At the time, they revealed a 300 Mbps service that seemed absolutely insane, but this time around, Verizon has upped the ante even more, with a new 500 Mbps tier.

Verizon says that the new tier gives Verizon the crown of the "fastest internet speeds available in FiOS markets," which is pretty hard to argue with. Of course, Google's Fiber is twice as fast, but FiOS isn't available in those areas. With the new tier, you'll be able to download files at 500 Mbps and upload files at 100 Mbps.

Verizon says that these kinds of speeds will allow you to download a two-hour, 5GB HD movie in just under a minute and a half, or you'll be able to upload a file like this to the cloud in only seven minutes. Of course, depending on your location and circumstances, you most likely won't get speeds that exactly match the speeds that are advertised.

Limited availability for this new tier is available starting today, with certain areas in all FiOS markets equipped for the 500 Mbps tier. However, Verizon hopes to expand the new tier to cover their entire FiOS footprint by the end of the year. The cheapest that you can get the new 500 Mbps service is for a whopping $310 per month if you order double play service, and internet alone will cost you $370 per month.