Verizon Communications (VZ), the largest U.S. local phone company, on Tuesday launched a service that will allow customers to access the Internet wirelessly on high-speed networks throughout New York City.

Verizon, which is based in New York, said it activated 150 WiFi access points or "hot spots" in the city and plans to activate 850 more by the end of the year. It said its deployment would mark the largest such initiative by an Internet service provider in a single U.S. city.

WiFi, or wireless fidelity, is an ultra high-speed wireless Internet connection usually available within a radius of a few hundred feet. Laptop computers or other portable devices with WiFi cards wirelessly tap into the access points, which are physically connected to high-speed networks.

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