Google Fiber ends $ 50, 100 Mbps plan, but 1 Gbps is still $ 70 without data cap

Enlarge / A Google Fiber van.

Google Fiber

Google Fiber has stopped offering its $ 50-per-month, 100 Mbps internet plan to new customers, making its gigabit service the only available option for people who were not grandfathers in the cheaper plan.

On the positive side, Google Fiber has never raised the $ 70 per month price of its gigabit plan since its launch in November 2012, a rarity in an industry where established ISPs routinely raise prices and address hidden costs because they are few contest.

“We’re all going to a show,” Google Fiber said in its announcement yesterday. “We will no longer offer a 100 Mbps subscription to new customers.”

The 100 Mbps plan, which has been offered since at least 2016, would still be useful for many customers who want to save $ 20 a month. Although gigabit connections offer faster uploads and downloads, streaming services do not yet require that much bandwidth. For example, Google recommends 35 Mbps to use its Google Stages game streaming service at the maximum settings, including 4K resolution, high dynamic range (HDR) and 60 frames per second (fps) with 5.1 surround sound. Netflix recommends a 25 Mbps connection for 4K video, although the 4K videos are generally streamed at around 15 Mbps. For simple internet and a few simultaneous 4K streams, 100 Mbps should be sufficient.

For Google Fiber, eliminating the $ 50 plan increases average revenue per customer, although people who have already signed up for the $ 50 service will apparently continue to get it for the same price.

“If you think you don’t need a performance right now, we think you’ll do that in the very near future: Internet usage in American households is growing exponentially,” the Google Fiber announcement said. “With a performance we give you enough room to grow.” With gigabit speeds, “you can use all your connected devices at home at the same time,” the company said.

Another thing that hasn’t changed since 2012 is that Google Fiber still doesn’t apply data caps to its service. But there are many people in the United States who want to sign up for Google Fiber and cannot get it because the ISP has not expanded what the initial ambitions suggested.

Google Fiber announced that it would usually stop expanding the fiber optic service in 2016. Google’s fiber optic construction has encountered several problems over the years, such as established internet providers restricting access to utility poles and bringing lawsuits against cities trying Google Fiber give faster access to those poles. There was also the failed Google Fiber experiment with nano slots that ended when the ISP stopped its network in Louisville and paid the city $ 3.8 million to remove the exposed fiber optic cables left by the company.

Google broadband is available in 18 metro lines, thanks in part to the 2016 acquisition of the Webpass company, which offers super fast wireless internet at home. Webpass charges $ 60 per month (or only $ 45.83 per month with a one-year contract) for speeds that vary per location, ranging from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps.

Google’s Webpass metro areas are Chicago; Denver; Miami; Oakland; San Diego; San Francisco; and Seattle. The fiber areas are Atlanta; Charlotte; Kansas city; Nashville; Orange County, California; San Antonio; Austin; Huntsville; Provo; Salt lake city; and the triangle, North Carolina. However, service availability is limited in every city.