Google Fiber has added a symmetrical 8 Gbps option to its network in West Des Moines, IA. The network now offers four speed options, including 1 Gbps, 2 Gbps and 5 Gbps.
The 8 Gbps service will cost $150 per month and include a Wi-Fi 6 router and one or two mesh extenders to enhance Wi-Fi coverage. Subscribers get unlimited data, 1 terabyte of cloud storage, free installation and 24/7 customer service.
Google Fiber also will offer what it refers to as a 10 Gig Fiber Jack, which is a 10 Gbps-capable optical network terminal (ONT). This clearly suggests that the speed enhancements in the city are not over.
Nick Saporito, the Head of Multi-gig & Commercial for Google Fiber, said in the blog post that more 5 Gbps and 8 Gbps announcements will be made on an ongoing basis.
The news came less than one week after Google Fiber announced 8 Gbps service in Mesa, AZ.
Google Fiber certainly has awakened from hibernation. Late last month, it agreed to build fiber networks in Council Bluffs, IA and Huntersville, NC. Planning and engineering are underway for the Council Bluffs project, which is less than five miles from a building in Omaha. Service in Council Bluffs is expected to be available next year.
Last October, Google Fiber said that it would begin offering 5 Gbps and 8 Gbps services early in 2023. The company said that Utah, Kansas City – the initial Google Fiber city – and Des Moines would be early test sites. The company clearly was confident of the plan, however, because it said that the services would be fully available early this year.
Google Fiber announced the launch of 5 Gbps service in West Des Moines as well as Kansas City and the Salt Lake City area in February.
In February, Google Fiber said that it would begin work on networks in Westminster Colorado and Chandler AZ.
Google Fiber is not the only service provider in the 8 Gbps range. Late last year, TDS Telecom said that it offers 8 Gbps service to more than 75 communities and that new deployments at that speed were planned in Idaho, Montana, North Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin
