Google Fiber

Google Fiber drops 100 Mbps plan, only offering gigabit service to new customers

Abner Li | Dec 4 2019 - 11:40 am PT

Google Fiber still exists today in 18 cities and continues to sign-up new customers. The ISP is now simplifying its service by no longer offering a 100 Mbps plan and committing entirely to gigabit Google Fiber speeds.

Actually a part of Alphabet’s Access division rather than Google proper, Fiber is no longer offering a 100 Mbps plan to new customers. This is being framed as Google Fiber “recommitting to [its] roots” and turning “attention back to [its] gig service.”

Now, seven years later, we’ve seen a huge shift, not only in Internet speeds, but also in how we use the Internet. Customers have caught on to our early vision, and other Internet service providers have tried to catch up. With increasingly connected homes and ever-improving technologies, speed is more important than any time in our history — and becoming more important every day. And with our fiber networks, we’re uniquely positioned to deliver it.

Fiber 1000 (Mbps) still costs $70, while it was only $50 for Fiber 100. This latest simplification by Google Fiber follows how it stopped offering television service in new cities two years ago. In some areas, a home phone service was originally available.

Instead, the ISP turned to over the top (OTT) services, like YouTube TV. In fact, as part of today’s gigabit streamlining, Fiber customers can sign-up for YouTube’s cord-cutting service during the initial sign-up flow for connectivity.

Google Fiber has struggled in recent years with its lofty vision of disrupting incumbent ISPs waylaid by the difficulty of deploying physical cable in entrenched markets. Today’s gigabit message seems to make the argument that it’s still a competitive player.

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