Verizon and Google have teamed up for a symbiotic relationship that puts Google's Stadia gaming system into the hands of new Fios subscribers.
Starting January 29, new Verizon Fios customers who sign up for the 1 Gigabit plan will get a Stadia Premiere Edition and a three-month Stadia Pro subscription. They'll also receive free a Stadia Controller and a Chromecast Ultra streaming dongle, which capable of streaming up to 4k resolution, for using the service on a TV.
Stadia Pro supports streaming up to 4k/60 frames-per-second and Dolby 5.1 surround sound. The Stadia Premier Edition, including the Chromecast Ultra streaming device and three months of Stadia Pro, regularly goes for $129 a month. Once the three months are up, Verizon's new 1-Gig subscribers will be charged Stadia's normal $9.99 per month fee, but they get to keep the free gear.
Google's nascent Stadia cloud gaming streaming service does away with the need to download a game onto a device by instead running it in the cloud where all of the compute resources are located.
The partnership with Verizon gives Stadia more exposure in the highly competitive game consoles world. On the other side, Verizon gets to promote its 1-Gig service, which is ideal for bandwidth intensive games, to better compete with the cable industry's 1-Gig services.
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Fios Gigabit packages start at $79.99 per month and it's part of Verizon's new "Mix & Match on Fios" broadband and TV pricing that allows customers to pick customized options with lower price points.
Verizon has previously partnered with Google. Under a deal signed last year with Google, Verizon is offering YouTube TV, with more than 70 channels, for $50 a month along with a one-month free preview as part of Mix & Match.
As an added perk of Mix & Match, Verizon is offering new Fios broadband customers one free year of Disney+. On the voice side, Verizon is offering an unlimited phone service for $20 per month. New Fios 1-Gig customers on the Mix & Match plans also get Verizon's new WiFi 6 home router with their Stadia bundle.
By allowing customers to pick and choose their TV and broadband options, Verizon is hoping to prop up its broadband numbers while offsetting some of its cord cutting losses .In October's third quarter earnings, Verizon's Fios internet's net additions of 30,000 were relatively flat sequentially and down year-over-year while it lost 67,000 Fios video customers.