If you’re lucky enough to live in a city with Google Fiber available, now’s your chance to take it for a test run. Google Fiber keeps its service simple and transparent. They don’t hide behind long-term contracts or hidden fees. All customers pay a fixed monthly rate and can enjoy unlimited data and WiFi coverage. See below what else Google Fiber has to offer.
If you’re tired of hidden fees, price hikes, and service agreements that lock you in, Google Fiber may just be your golden goose. They keep things straight and to the point when it comes to internet service. No long-term contracts. No equipment fees. No data caps. No headaches. Of all the perks, though, our favorite thing about Google Fiber is its symmetrical upload and download speeds. This is great for remote workers, content creators, and anyone else that heavily relies on the internet day-to-day.
The main pain point of course is its availability. Google Fiber is only available in densely populated areas of select cities. Count your lucky stars if you manage to live within range. And, although Google Fiber doesn’t require any contracts, canceling your service with them will cost you an early termination fee they call a “construction fee” worth up to $300. However, we’ve found that this can be waived. All in all, Google does a great job of simplifying fiber internet.
Google fiber availability is limited. Relatively new, it has a very selective coverage area consisting of just 18 metropolitan cities in the United States. Overall, 11 of those 18 locations are Google Fiber cities and the remaining 7 are Google Fiber Webpass cities. Webpass is a special internet technology that delivers fiber speeds to apartments and condos using dropped ethernet lines. Highly dense cities like Chicago, Seattle, and Miami are a few areas where this service is available by Google Fiber. The only mention of expanding can be found on the Google Fiber main website where it states internet service is “coming soon” to West Des Moines, Iowa.
Month-to-month service
Free professional installations
Very limited availability
Speeds vary depending on location
Owned by parent company Alphabet Inc., Google Fiber launched in 2010 under Google’s Access Division as a fiber-to-the-home and IPTV service provider in select U.S. cities. Initially, Google Fiber, or “Google Internet”, was an experimental project meant to gauge demand, and in 2012 was deemed a viable project that still runs today. In its short decade tackling the telecommunications industry, Google Fiber has dealt some hefty blows to its expansion plans and service offerings, as the buying in this market turned out to be more difficult than even Google prepared for. So far, Google Fiber still appears to be in testing waters, its fiber only available in a very select number of cities. As of February 2020, Google Fiber announced the discontinuation of its IPTV service and switched gears to focus solely on expanding its fiber network. New customers can enjoy fiber internet and phone with this provider.
Google Fiber comes with the same great customer support as the rest of Google’s suite of products and services. Voted PCMag’s Best Customer Service in 2019, Google Fiber offers 24/7 support for any and all questions you may have. Customers can reach a representative via phone at 866-777-7550, email, live chat, or their online Support Page.
Contact Google Fiber SupportNot anymore. In February 2020, Google Fiber announced that it will no longer be offering IPTV to new customers and instead now offers streaming subscriptions for partnerships including YouTube TV, Fubo, Sling, and Philo.
Webpass is a point-to-point wireless technology that allows an internet provider the ability to deliver fast speeds to apartments and condos in densely populated areas. Google Fiber Webpass is only available in select major cities. Enter your zip code here if you’d like to view ISPs near you.
No. Google Fiber plans come with whole-home WiFi and internet equipment free of charge, so you can enjoy your service untethered.
While gig speeds are fast, not every household really needs them. Internet needs greatly depend on factors such as home size, device count, family size, and online activity. Gamers, remote workers, and video streamers require a lot of bandwidth to support them online whereas those that lightly use the internet generally don’t need gig speeds.
Many speculate that Google is pushing its fiber and TV services to prompt other providers like Spectrum and Xfinity to increase their bandwidth connections in metropolitan areas rather than to turn a profit for themselves. Faster speeds mean quicker access to Google’s services, which benefits their bottom line either way.
Google Fiber is available in select big cities, which Google updates daily.
Fiber internet is a connection that uses light, rather than electrical signals, to transfer data along glass fiber cables. These cables transmit data at the speed of light – literally. Compared to other connection types like DSL and cable, fiber offers the fastest speeds, delivers the strongest home coverage, and supports more devices per household. The downside is that it’s not as widely available as DSL and cable internet, which explains why it only makes up 1 in 5 internet subscribers in the U.S. today.
