The 5Gbps internet plan that Google Fiber began testing in October is now available for purchase. The $125 per month service will initially cover four cities, but Google claims that it will expand to additional areas later this year.
Kansas City, West Des Moines, and Fiber’s Utah cities now offer the new plan. Professional installation, an upgraded 10 Gig Fiber Jack (the small box that houses the fiber cable’s entrance into your home), a WiFi 6 router, and up to two mesh network extenders are among its features.
Although 5Gbps speeds may be too fast for most homes, they may be useful for gamers, creative professionals, and others who frequently transfer large files or require low latency. For instance, in ideal circumstances, a 150GB download of Microsoft Flight Simulator would only take about three minutes at 6Gbps, compared to 11 minutes at 2Gbps.
Google has renewed its focus on Fiber, which is reflected in the improved speeds. Additionally, the company recently announced the first network expansion in a long time. However, perhaps more importantly, it reestablishes Fiber’s status as a disruptor in the industry, compel competitors to upgrade speeds and possibly lower prices on existing plans. Some areas already have Comcast’s 6Gbps service, which costs a whopping $300 and does not include symmetrical uploads.
Additionally, Google reaffirmed that the 8Gbps Fiber option, which was also announced late last year, is still “coming soon.” Symmetrical uploads and downloads will also be available through that service.