It has symmetrical downloads and uploads, but it’s only available in four cities at launch.
Google Fiber is launching the 5Gbps internet plan it began testing in October. The service will initially cover four cities, but Google says the $125-per-month service will expand to other areas later this year.
The new plan is available today in Kansas City, West Des Moines and Fiber’s Utah cities. It has symmetrical upload and download rates, an upgraded 10 Gig Fiber Jack (the small box housing the fiber cable’s entrance into your home), professional installation, a WiFi 6 router and up to two mesh network extenders.
Although 5Gbps speeds could be overkill for most households, they could come in handy for creative professionals, gamers or others who need minimal latency or transfer large files frequently. For example, a 150GB Microsoft Flight Simulator download that takes 11 minutes at 2Gbps would only take about three minutes at 6Gbps (under ideal conditions, anyway).
The upgraded speeds are part of Google’s rejuvenated focus on Fiber. The company also recently announced its first network expansion in years. But, perhaps more crucially, it reestablishes Fiber as an industry disrupter pushing competitors to upgrade speeds and lower prices (maybe) on existing plans. Comcast already offers 6Gbps service in some areas, but it costs a whopping $300 and doesn’t include symmetrical uploads.
Google also reiterated that Fiber’s 8Gbps option, also announced late last year, is still “coming soon.” That service will also include symmetrical uploads and downloads.
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