Google has made its 20 Gbps fiber internet service official, and it is now available for pre-order to select customers for $250 per month (h/t The Verge). Those taking Google up the offer should expect to start enjoying their super-fast connections early next year. To make the most of those 20 Gbps speeds throughout your dwelling, a Wi-Fi 7 router will be provided.
Google Fiber customers in Kansas City, North Carolina’s Triangle Region, Arizona, and Iowa will be the first to get a taste of the GFiber 20 Gig + Wi-Fi 7 product. It is explained that availability will correspond to Google’s rollout of Nokia’s 25G PON across the network.
Please consult the table below to provide some context as to where the new service will fit into the current range of offerings and the dollars per Gbps of speed.
|
GFiber 1 Gig |
GFiber 2 Gig |
GFiber 5 Gig | GFiber 8 Gig | GFiber 20 Gig | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Down / up speeds |
1 Gbps / 1 Gbps |
2 Gbps / 1 Gbps |
5 Gbps / 5 Gbps |
8 Gbps / 8 Gbps | 20 Gbps |
|
Price per month |
$70 |
$100 |
$125 |
$150 | $250 |
|
$ per Gbps |
$70 |
$50 |
$25 |
$19 | $12.50 |
Please be aware that there may be local taxes and fees to add to the above subscription prices.
Clearly, the new package is the best value yet, going by the dollars per Gbps metric, at $12.50 per Gbps of speed. By contrast, the base 1 Gbps service costs $70.00 per Gbps of speed. Nevertheless, 1 Gbps fiber is still pretty fast, and some customers might not need anything faster, even in a demanding household (your writer is ‘slumming it’ but happy with a 400 Mbps connection).
Installations of the GFiber 20 Gig + Wi-Fi 7 product are scheduled for Q1 2024. Of course, this means you might have to wait until the end of March for service speed upgrades if you are in one of the select areas. Those interested should fill out this form to be eligible for an early access invitation.
Lastly, it is interesting to see a Wi-Fi 7 router bundled with Google's fastest Fiber service tier. According to the search giant, this Fiber plus Actiontec router package delivers “simultaneous multi-gig connections throughout the whole house.” Some more information about the technology required for 20 Gbps and getting the service installed is provided in the video below. You will note the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) required by the 20 Gbps service is quite a big and ugly thing for now.
Wi-Fi 7 has been something of a hot topic over recent hours. On Monday, we reported on the Wi-Fi Alliance announcement that the Wi-Fi 7 specification will be finalized by the end of Q1 2024. A few hours ago, we noted that Gigabyte had unveiled a new PCIe Wi-Fi 7 card called the GC-WIFI7.
