In one of its first steps towards fixed/mobile convergence for residential customers, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) has added more features to its FiOS service. The features include increasing email storage capacity to 4 GBytes, the ability to check email from different computers, and the ability to check email from certain Verizon Wireless cellphones. (See VZ Soups Up Email.)

The mobile email feature will be a downloadable application from Verizon's "Get It Now" service on certain compatible cellphones. For checking email on other computers, there will be a new Webmail application with a Hotmail-like interface. While the Webmail is free, it'll cost you $5 a month if you want to see your email on your cellphone.

The new features will be available first to FiOS customers, and later to all other Verizon DSL customers.

But the telco's ability to potentially converge traditional fixed with mobile services is a key advantage that they have over cable.

"The mobile email is a standalone addition for now. As far as bringing more FiOS features to the mobile phone, there's no specific initiatives to talk about right now, but I don't think you can rule it out at this point," says Cliff Lee, a Verizon spokesman.

— Raymond McConville, Reporter, Light Reading