Google Fiber is launching 5-gig and 8-gig plans early next year

Google Fiber will soon offer some really fast internet speeds. | Image: Google Fiber

Google Fiber will offer 5Gbps and 8Gbps tiers starting in early 2023 (via 9to5Google). The company is pitching these new offerings for people like creative professionals, those that regularly work “in the cloud” or with large data, and households with many people sharing the internet, according to a blog post from director of product management Amalia O’Sullivan.

“5 Gig will make it easier to upload and download simultaneously, no matter the file size,” writes O’Sullivan. “And 8 Gig will make sure that everything you are doing online is happening in near real time (without jitter and with low latency).” The tiers each come with a Wi-Fi 6 router and up to two mesh extenders with professional installation, but you can use your own router if you want. The 5Gbps tier will cost $125 per month, while the 8Gbps tier will cost $150 per month. Both will have symmetrical upload and download speeds.

Some lucky Google Fiber users will be able to test these new speedy tiers early. “If you are a current Google Fiber customer, especially in Utah, Kansas City or West Des Moines, you could be trying out these new products as early as next month,” O’Sullivan says. If that describes you, fill out this form to be considered for the program. I’ll be watching you jealously from afar with my measly-by-comparison 100Mbps download speeds.

For a while there, it seemed like Google Fiber was in some trouble, especially after things like its layoffs in 2016 and the decision to leave Louisville, Kentucky, altogether. But in August, the company announced big expansion plans, including that it wants to bring Fiber to states like Nebraska, Nevada, and Idaho. And the new speed tiers announced on Thursday build on the 2Gbps offering that launched in 2020.

Source: The Verge

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