DirecTV, Verizon Team Up To Offer Bundled Services

NEW YORK— DirecTV said it has reached a deal with Verizon for the telecom services provider to include DirecTV's satellite-delivered television services in bundled packages with its telephone services.

The new packages are available now in Rhode Island , followed by New England and the mid-Atlantic states in the coming months, with additional markets to follow, Verizon said.

Verizon plans to give its customers the option of combining long-distance, wireless, Internet and video services through one provider, and will eventually combine all of those services on a single bill.

Rhode Island customers who buy Verizon's top package, which includes unlimited all-distance calling, Verizon Online DSL and DirecTV, can save more than $240 a year over a competing bundle of telephone, Internet access and video. Other combinations with DirecTV and calling and Internet services will also be available at discounts, Verizon said.

Customers can order all Verizon and DirecTV services by making a single call to Verizon. By mid-year, when the companies interconnect billing systems, all the services will appear on the Verizon bill. Verizon currently offers integrated billing of local and long-distance calling, Internet access and, in most areas, wireless services via its One-Bill option.

In addition to the variety of calling and Internet services available from Verizon, customers can buy, for example, DirecTV's Total Choice Plus with Local Channels package.

Discounts are available to new DirecTV subscribers and to Verizon customers who buy packages of local, long-distance and data services. Under the program, DirecTV will install its services and provide follow-up customer care for its customers acquired through Verizon.