Google announced it would introduce significantly faster fiber broadband services early next year. Two new speed tiers are being introduced to the Google Fiber stables: 5 Gbps ($125/month) and 8 Gbps ($150/month) services. These will be symmetrical services where upload and download speeds are equal. In addition, Google will provide subscribers with Wi-Fi 6 routers and up to two mesh extenders to deliver robust internet speeds throughout their households.
In September, the Google Fiber Connect blog teased that employees were testing a symmetrical >20 Gbps service in Kansas, so readers might be a little disappointed by the announcement of 8 Gbps speeds, at best, today. However, Google has kept the offerings it has created symmetrical, will eschew data caps, will not impose installation fees, and claims that it will maintain “accessible prices.” So, how do the new Google Fiber offerings shape up compared to what already exists? Check out our features and pricing comparison table below.
|
GFiber 1 Gig |
GFiber 2 Gig |
GFiber 5 Gig |
GFiber 8 Gig | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Down / up speeds |
1 Gbps / 1 Gbps |
2 Gbps / 1 Gbps |
5 Gbps / 5 Gbps |
8 Gbps / 8 Gbps |
|
Price per month |
$70 |
$100 |
$125 |
$150 |
|
$ per Gbps |
$70 |
$50 |
$25 |
$19 |
What is startling from the above is what poor value the entry-level service of 1 Gbps appears to be in light of the new, faster services using the dollar-per-Gig metric. Of course, there are fixed costs to providing the connectivity and equipment to any premises, and many customers may see no need for >1 Gbps speeds.
Google addresses the above gripe in its blog post by asking, "Who needs 5 Gig and 8 Gig?" The answer is customers who want to be ready for the next great bandwidth-hungry developments of the internet age, as well as “creative professionals, people working in the cloud or with large data, households with large shared internet demands.” In other words, any pastime or job where large file transfers are necessary should benefit from the faster speeds, and Google also hints at reduced lag in time-sensitive operations like share dealing and FOREX – but doesn’t specifically mention gaming.
The first regions to access these new, faster Google Fiber tiers will be Utah, Kansas City and West Des Moines via early test programs. Interested parties and existing customers should register their interest here for retail rollout in early 2023. Near the end of its blog, Google said 20 Gbps services were still in testing, so we can hold onto hope that there will be further faster GFiber tiers added in the coming months. In the meantime, Google could really do something about ‘accessibility’ if it flattened out the dollar-per-Gig metric for its 1 Gbps and 2 Gbps service users.
