Google Fiber's gigabit Internet service has consistently been priced at $70 a month since it launched in 2012, but it's now available for just $55 in the ISP's latest city.
Google Fiber in San Antonio, Texas comes in just one speed tier, offering 1Gbps download and upload speeds at the rate of $55 a month. Google Fiber charges $70 a month for standalone gigabit service in all other cities where it offers wired Internet service.
"[I]n San Antonio, we've priced our Fiber 1000 (1,000Mbps) service at $55 per month," Google Fiber said in an announcement yesterday. "There's no installation fee, no hidden fees, no contracts, and no data caps."
There is one small downside to the San Antonio offer. Because the gigabit tier is the only one that's available, $55 is the lowest monthly price one can pay for Google Fiber in San Antonio. In Google Fiber's other cities with wired Internet, there is a 100Mbps tier that costs $50.
No plans to lower price in other cities
ISPs sometimes test different prices or packages in certain cities, so it's possible that gigabit pricing could eventually come down in other Google Fiber areas.
But Google Fiber told Ars that it has no plans to change gigabit pricing in its other markets for now, and the company declined to say why it's offering a different price model in San Antonio.
AT&T is offering standalone gigabit Internet service in San Antonio for $80 a month, and it's available to 230,000 homes, apartments, and small businesses, according to a San Antonio Express-News article.
So far, Google Fiber has launched sign-ups in just two areas of San Antonio and says it is "continuing to extend the network to more of the city."
San Antonio is also one of the first Google Fiber cities without a traditional pay-TV offering. Instead, Google Fiber encourages customers to subscribe to the online streaming service YouTube TV.
Google Fiber's wireless subsidiary, Webpass, charges $60 a month (or $550 a year) regardless of speed, with promised speeds ranging from 100Mbps to 1Gbps.
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