By Melodie Warner Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) raised the starting price for its basic FiOS Internet service to $64.99, while doubling the Internet service's speed to up to 300 megabits per second. The telecommunications giant named the new Internet tiers containing the highest speeds "FiOS Quantum" and said signing a two-year contract cuts $5 from the monthly stand-alone service prices. A stand-alone 15-megabits-per-second service costs $69.99 a month. The monthly price for bundling the 15 megabits service with FiOS TV ranges from $84.99 to $129.99. Pricing for the 50 megabits per second speed starts at $84.99 and double-play bundles range from $94.99 to $134.99. The cost for a triple-play bundle, which adds unlimited FiOS Digital Voice, ranges from $109.99 to $149.99 per month for 50 megabits for new customers. The stand-alone cost is $89.99 a month for 75 megabits, while a double-play bundle ranges from $99.99 to $139.99 and a triple-play bundle costs between $114.99 to $154.99. The monthly price for triple-play bundles of 150 megabits range from $169.99 to $174.99 a month for new customers and double-play bundles range from $154.99 to $159.99. The stand-alone 150 megabit service costs $99.99 a month. The new 300 megabits tier, offered as a stand-alone only, costs $209.99 a month. Last week, Verizon Wireless--Verizon's joint venture with Vodafone Group PLC (VOD, VOD.LN)--lifted the curtain on its long-awaited shared-data plans that allow users to put additional devices under one umbrella. The plans will offer unlimited voice and messaging and a block of data for a flat cost, plus a fee for each device that will be drawing on that data. Such plans, which encourage increased data use by making it easier to add devices such as tablets, also increase the carrier's grip on paying for data that was once offered on an unlimited basis. Write to Melodie Warner at melodie.warner@dowjones.com
