Google Fiber is turning it up to 11… thousand with two new tiers launching in 2023 promising jaw-dropping speeds. We‘ll explore everything you should know as a prospective subscriber about the 5 Gig and 8 Gig packages before they hit select markets.
First, what exactly does Google mean when they say "5 Gigs" and "8 Gigs"? Simply put, we‘re talking raw internet speeds of 5000 Megabits per second (Mbps) and 8000 Mbps respectively. That‘s up to 8x faster than typical home broadband connections today from cable and telco providers, which tend to max out at 1000 Mbps (or 1 Gbps).
Let‘s delve deeper into what‘s new, when and where you can get it, whether the average family truly requires multi-gigabit speeds, and most importantly – what blazing fast fiber connections enable…
The Need for Speed: A Brief History of Gigabit Internet
It wasn‘t long ago that household download speeds of 15-25 Mbps over old DSL lines felt "fast." My, how far we‘ve come! Fiber internet and technical breakthroughs like DOCSIS 3.1 today empower consistent 100-1000 Mbps across millions of homes and businesses.
But for some, gigabit still doesn‘t cut it. 4K video streaming, VR gaming, video editing, and other high-bandwidth use cases push connections to the limit. As digital transformation accelerates across entertainment, work, education and more, having some headroom matters.
Google Fiber set the pace early on by unveiling 1 Gbps residential fiber service starting in 2013. But in a never-ending quest to stay ahead of demand, 2023 brings their biggest leap yet to 5 Gigs and 8 Gigs. The advances unlocking multi-gig stem from years of industry R&D into technologies like GPON, XGS-PON and Full Duplex DOCSIS 4.0.
Rather than relying on a mishmash of outdated infrastructure, Google Fiber builds new fiber optic systems from scratch with future speed capacity designed in. The result? Broadband fast enough to download 100 GB Xbox games in under 2 minutes!
Breaking Down Google Fiber‘s 5 Gig vs 8 Gig Internet Tiers
Before we dive into specifics on availability and technology, let‘s explore how the 5 Gig and 8 Gig options compare across the metrics most buyers care about:
Speeds
| Download | Upload | 8 Gig Boost |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Gbps | 5 Gbps | +60% |
| 8 Gbps | 8 Gbps | – |
Both packages deliver symmetrical speeds up to their advertised limits. So whether uploading backups to the cloud or downloading movies, you‘ll enjoy equivalent performance.
Pricing
The 8 Gig premium comes at a 20% cost bump over 5 Gigs. However, most households don‘t require such headroom today. I expect 5 Gigs to see higher initial adoption.
| Monthly Price | 8 Gig Premium |
|---|---|
| $125 | – |
| $150 | +$25 |
Data Caps
Thankfully even the highest speeds won‘t incur extra data overage fees. Use as much or as little as needed each month without worry.
Router + WiFi
Google provides a multi-gig router and mesh extenders capable of delivering full speeds wirelessly to compatible devices.
So what exactly can you do with 5 Gigs or 8 Gigs internet that you can‘t today?
Unlocking the Potential of Multi-Gigabit Broadband
To demonstrate why it‘s worth getting excited about residential internet 40x faster than the average home connection today, here are just some use cases that 5 Gigs and 8 Gigs unlock:
- Download a full 4K movie in 8 seconds
- Backup 1 TB of photos to the cloud in 5 minutes
- Stream 8K video to multiple TVs flawlessly
- Download massive 100+ GB games in under 2 minutes
- Experience lag-free 500 Mbps even over WiFi
- Hook up 100+ smart home devices without slowdowns
- Work, learn, stream and game simultaneously across household
- Enjoy VR gaming with instant reaction times
- Videoconference at the highest quality without glitches
- Future-proof your home for high bandwidth applications to come
In 2023 and even for some years ahead, gigabit speeds likely still satisfy most buyers. But for technology enthusiasts, larger families and small office setups – the appeal of nearly unlimited bandwidth boils down to one word: futureproofing.
As home internet consumes more data over time, multi-gig offers some insulation against needing another upgrade just to power an average connected household 5 years from now.
Where and When Can You Get 5 Gig or 8 Gig Internet?
Google…
