No cheap plan options Fiber network still has room to grow
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Google Fiber has one of the highest starting prices of any top ISP at $70 per month, but considering what you get — symmetrical upload and download speeds up to 1,000 megabits per second, free equipment and unlimited data — the cost is quite reasonable. In fact, Google Fiber plans have arguably the best value you’ll find from any major ISP.
Google Fiber’s availability is nowhere near rival fiber providers like AT&T, Verizon Fios or Quantum Fiber but it offers service in some relatively major markets.
Furthermore (and encouraging to a suburbanite like myself), Google Fiber shows signs of expansion outside major city limits. For example, Google Fiber is set to expand into Concord and Matthews, North Carolina. I’ve lived in both Charlotte suburbs and would not have anticipated Google Fiber’s availability reaching that far away from the city center.
I’m now waiting for Google Fiber to reach me south of Charlotte, but if it’s available in your area or where you’re moving to, here’s what you can expect as far as plans and service details are concerned.
Google Fiber plans and service details
Google Fiber has two to four plan options depending where you live: 1Gbps or 2Gbps, plus new 5Gbps and 8Gpbs plans. The latter two are currently only available in select areas, though a Google Fiber spokesperson has confirmed with CNET that the provider aims to eventually roll out both plans to all markets.
Select cities — specifically Chicago, Denver, Miami, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Oakland, California — have access to Google Webpass, a high-speed fixed wireless internet service similar to Starry Internet. There’s only one plan available with Google Webpass, gigabit service, but cheaper pricing may be available if your building’s network can’t support gigabit speeds.
More and cheaper plan options would be nice (Google Fiber previously offered a 100Mbps plan for $50 per month), but I have to admit I like that gig service is the baseline. As streaming in HD and 4K become the norm and we’re connecting everything from smartphones and tablets to speakers, thermostats and a plethora of other devices to the internet, plans with speeds around and below 100Mbps are becoming less practical, even if they are easier on the budget.
Getting back to value, Google Fiber plans are actually better priced than most, even though no “cheap” option is available. At $70 per month, Google Fiber’s gig service is priced lower than fiber providers AT&T, Frontier and Verizon Fios and cable ISPs including Cox, Spectrum and Xfinity (in select areas). Then there’s the $100 per month 2Gbps plan, which is still cheaper than what some providers charge for a single gig service.
A good indicator of value is the cost per Mbps, which you can find for any internet plan by dividing the monthly fee by the max speeds. Google Fiber’s 1 Gig plan starts at $70 per month for speeds up to 1,000Mbps, which comes to an estimated cost per Mbps of 7 cents. The 2 Gig plan is even lower at 5 cents per Mbps. A sub-dime cost per Mbps is often a great internet deal, and the cost per Mbps of Google Fiber plans is on par with or lower than most providers at any speed tier.
Google Fiber’s 8 Gig plan, though not yet widely available, actually boasts the lowest cost per Mbps (less than 2 cents), of just about any major provider or plan. It’s still a bit pricey at $150 per month, but the speeds you get more than justify the cost.
Straightforward pricing with no added fees
Google Fiber doesn’t have introductory pricing, so you don’t have to worry about a looming price increase after 12 months. That’s not to say the price will never go up, but there’s no guarantee that it will after a certain number of months.
Additionally, Google Fiber plans come with unlimited data (so no overage fees) and no contracts with a required service length (no early termination fees). Unlimited data and no contracts are becoming more common among ISPs. Still, some big-name providers will require you to sign an agreement to get the lowest pricing or tack on $50 or more in overage fees for exceeding your data limit.
No equipment costs, even for mesh Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi 6 routers