Verizon has launched an Enhanced Communities project aimed at signing-up the developers of single-family residential communities to promote its FTTH initiative -- "Verizon offers developers the opportunity to market voice service, FiOS high-speed Internet Service at up to 30 megabits per second, and FiOS TV service over the fiber cables. Verizon's digital TV package is under development now, for introduction to the market later this year. More than a dozen such marketing agreements have already been signed, including Pulte Homes, Pardee Homes and KB Home, as well as partnering with several large developments in Southern California and Northern Virginia. The Enhanced Communities Group has recruited a dedicated sales team from an existing Verizon sales team."
There is a pivotal shift within the global smartphone market. Recent data from IDC highlights a more cautious outlook for 2025, with projected worldwide smartphone shipments seeing a significantly reduced growth rate. This revised forecast underscores the intricate interplay of global economic factors and geopolitical dynamics on pervasive personal communication devices. IDC's latest update projects a mere 0.6 percent growth in worldwide smartphone shipments for 2025, a stark reduction from the earlier 2.3 percent expectation. Global Smartphone Market Development This recalibration is largely attributed to prevailing economic uncertainties, including inflationary pressures and rising unemployment, alongside the persistent specter of tariff volatility. Despite these global tensions, it's interesting to note that the United States and China are still identified as the primary drivers of this modest growth. China, a critical market, is forecast to achieve a 3 percent year-over-yea...