'What is Google Fiber?': Everything you need to know about Google's high-speed internet service

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Google Fiber is a high-speed internet service that Google is currently deploying in 18 cities across the US. Here's what you need to know about it. Reuters/George Frey
  • Google Fiber is a broadband internet service that Google is currently deploying in 18 cities across the US.
  • The service is notable because of its high speed, running up to 1000 Mbps, with a friendly month-to-month, all-inclusive pricing scheme.
  • Despite the initial promise of the network, Google has paused expansion of Fiber beyond its current 18 cities, and notably pulled Fiber out of several cities where it attempted to deploy the service.   
  • Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.
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Google Fiber is Google's fiber optic-based broadband internet service, which debuted in 2010. It's built to deliver high-speed connectivity to businesses and individuals in select cities.

At least, that was the goal. While it once appeared that Google intended to roll out Google Fiber across the entire US, the company "paused" most of its expansion plans, adding only one new city in the last four years — they announced in July 2020 that Fiber would be coming to West Des Moines, IA, but it won't be ready for several years.

Currently, Google Fiber services are available in 18 locations across the country.

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Where Google Fiber currently operates

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You can visit the Google Fiber website to check its availability and sign up for the service. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

The service is currently operating or rolling out operations in 18 cities, including Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; San Francisco, California; and Seattle, Washington.

However, Google has pulled Fiber out of a few other cities, including Boston, Massachusetts, and Louisville, Kentucky. After leaving Louisville, Google was ordered to pay $4 million to the city for damages resulting from a failed attempt to deploy the service. 

But if you're located in one of the cities in which Google Fiber currently operates, you can check if your address is eligible (no city has coverage everywhere), sign up for the service, or get additional information on the Google Fiber website.

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What Google Fiber offers

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Even in cities that have deployed Google Fiber, availability is somewhat limited. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

Much of the appeal of Google Fiber is its speed. While the FCC benchmark for broadband internet speed is 25 Mbps for downloads and 3 Mpbs for uploads, Google Fiber boasts a top speed of 1,000 Mbps (or 1 Gbps) at the highest tier of service. That's among the top speeds in the country.

Like most broadband internet services, Google Fiber is a shared network, which means that if too many people are online at one time, you may experience slowdowns.

But because Google Fiber is built to support 1,000 Mbps, the bandwidth is so high that it's unlikely any individual customer's bandwidth would be affected by their neighbors.

Google Fiber's price varies by region, but most Google Fiber customers can expect to pay about $50/month for 100 Mbps service, and $70/month for 1,000 Mbps.

Google Fiber also includes an option for cable television, which adds about $90/month to the basic plan. In all cases, the pricing is all-inclusive and billed month-to-month, with no annual service contracts, fees for rental equipment, or monthly data caps.

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The future of Google Fiber

Since Google has paused plans to deploy Google Fiber across the US, and pulled out of several cities it attempted to deploy in, critics have occasionally labeled the initiative a "failure."    

While this at least represents a notable change of course for the company, one industry insider told Business Insider that Google Fiber's presence in Austin, Texas, in particular, has had a positive effect on the local broadband industry, spurring competition and even growth.

CIO of IT Strategy company Clear Guidance Partners Dustin Bolander told Business Insider, "Here in Austin, we have seen some of Google's competitors cut prices by as much as 50% in response to the hype that accompanies Google Fiber."

So while Fiber might not be growing as fast as Google might have hoped, it might still be a worthwhile option to look into.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

On February 28, Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, joined 31 other media groups and filed a $2.3 billion suit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses suffered due to the company's advertising practices.

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