In places where Google Fiber is available, new customers are no longer able to sign up for the $50/month 100Mbps tier, as it is being phased out. Going forward, Google wants to focus solely on its $70/month 1Gbps plan.
"Starting today, we’re recommitting to our roots. We’re going all in on a gig, just like we did all those years ago. We will no longer offer a 100Mbps plan to new customers," Google said in a blog post.
"We are excited to turn our attention back to our gig service, still offered for $70/month—the exact same price it cost back in 2012 when we first launched," Google added.
This is not a jarring change by any means—Google Fiber is only available in 18 cities, and if existing 100Mbps customers are not interested in making the leap to 1Gbps, Google will upgrade them to 500Mbps, albeit for $55/month ($5 more than they're currently paying). That option only applies to existing 100Mbps subscribers.
Google reasoning is that it's seen a "huge shift" in both internet speeds and how people use the internet.
"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," Google says.
The 1Gbps service is actually a good value compared to what's available in most areas. Unfortunately, Google put the brakes on its expansion efforts (for the most part). There were just too many hurdles, including the cost of expanding into certain areas, disputes over access to utility poles, and other challenges.
Google's decision to go all-in with gigabit service comes on the heels of its Stadia launch. In areas where Google Fiber is available, 1Gbps (and 500Mbps) should offer a better overall experience on Stadia than 100Mbps, though latency plays a big role too.
