Verizon to bump up its DSL speeds to cable levels

With its FiOS rollout not exactly moving at lightning-fast speed, the company announced it was rolling out faster DSL service in about 400 communities.

The speed bump would erase most of the speed advantage that cable Internet currently enjoys over its rival. Speeds of up to 7 Mbps can be attained, and pricing would start at $39.99 with an annual service contract.

Verizon actually began offering the faster service last month to new customers at a cost of $47.99, however Wednesday is the first time they publicly announced its availability. In order for it to work, a technician is required to visit the home.

At those speeds, it would roughly be about twice as fast as current DSL, and roughly on par with most cable Internet services, which generally offer 6-8 Mbps as their base package for customers.

More communities would receive the upgrade throughout 2008, and Verizon is telling those interested in the faster service will need to use the availability application to see if they are eligible. Existing customers will need to sign up for a new contract if they wish to upgrade.