When first writing about the Google Fiber service, I was saying that Google needs to fix these issues: price, adoption and equipment. After seeing today’s announcement, I’m now confident they’ve managed to solve all 3 of them or, at least, to have a healthy start. The price and equipment is all set, the adoption depends on how customers react and just how badly they want Google Fiber in their homes. I don’t know about you, but for me, this kind of news is what makes technology better and more useful for all of us. No matter where you are right now, USA, India, Australia, Africa, this is a big step forward and the residents of Kansas City are happy to be the first in the world to use a Google Fiber connection up to 1 Gigabit per second. As always, they’ve thought about each and every aspect of their product and that’s why they’ve come up with 3 different plans.
Google Fiber plans + a free Nexus 7!
During the presentation, Google officials said that the construction fee for a single home is $300, so that’s how much Google has to spend to deliver the fiber optic network at your house. And before I go elaborating the plans, you should know that they will give you a free Nexus 7 tablet along with your Gigabit + TV plan! How cool is that.
Gigabit + TV: $120 per month
The most expensive and impressive plan in the same time is Gigabit + TV, one that offers you The Full Google Experience. This Google Fiber plan has all the things you need not only to call it a smart house, but to call it a smart house with an incredible Internet connectivity speed. Here’s what will you get with the Gigabit + TV plan:
Up to one gigabit upload & download speed Full channel TV lineup 2 year contract No data caps Nexus 7 tablet TV Box Storage Box Network Box 1TB Google Drive $300 waived construction fee
Gigabit Internet: $70 per month
Gigabit Internet is almost twice as cheap as the Gigabit + TV and there are obvious reasons why. Unfortunately, you won’t be getting what I like most about this new awesome service (despite the speed, obviously) – the Nexus 7 tablet. Also, you won’t be getting the storage brox that allows for 500 hours of HD recording. Here’s what you’ll get, though:
Up to one gigabit upload & download No data caps 1 year contract $300 waived construction fee Network Box included 1TB Google Drive
Free Internet: 25$ per month for one year
It’s interesting how Google has managed to pull all their products together in a single ecosystem, they’re using the Nexus 7 as the remote and the Chromebook as the netbook of choice (Chromebox didn’t make it here…). And, if I am not wrong the $299 is a reduced price. With the Free Internet plan, you’re basically paying the construction fee, but you’re making sure that whenever you want you can have Google Fiber at home. Until then, you’ll benefit from free Internet and something more:
Up to 5Mbps download 1Mbps upload speed No data caps Free service guaranteed for at least 7 years Includes Network Box
Conclusion
Google has been smart, intuitive, innovative and many other beautiful words that they deserve. It’s a well shaped product with plans for the entire family, and for different kind of customers. You want huge speed, but you don’t need it on your TV yet? No worries, you can select the Gigagbit Internet plan. I don’t mean to sound like a sales-man, but truth be told, I’d gladly sell a service like this! You not only pay a competitive price, but you also get impressive bonuses on top. Let’s see how they manage to deal with adoption and how ready is the market for this.
