Google Fiber Launches 8 Megabit Broadband in Mesa

Google Fiber joins Lumen Technologies as one of the only well-known carriers to offer a symmetrical 8 Gbps broadband tier with the launch of the service in its newly launched Mesa, Arizona market. Just a little more than a month after launching its 5-gig plan in four markets, Mesa marks its fifth 5-gig city.
The 8-gig service costs $150 per month, half the price of Lumen's comparable service level. The rate includes a Wi-Fi 6 router and up to two mesh network extenders. Pricing for the other tiers remains the same at $70 per month for 1 show, $100 for 2 shows and $125 for 5 shows.
Currently, Mesa is the only marketplace offering 8-gig products. However, Google Fiber was also recently approved to bring its service to nearby Chandler and plans to begin construction this year, meaning more customers in the Phoenix metro area will soon have access to 8-gig service.
A Google Fiber representativeb said, "8 Gig will be available in all of our new markets as they launch, and we are upgrading existing cities to offer 8 Gig. We expect this to happen next year. "
The launch of the service in Mesa comes less than nine months after Google Fiber received approval to build in the city and four months after it began construction there. In fact, Google Fiber is growing rapidly in Mesa, and for good reason - the carrier is one of at least six fiber operators vying for space in that particular market. Lumen is one of its potential competitors. However, Lumen currently offers 8-megabit service only in Denver, Minneapolis and Seattle.
To be clear, 8-gig plans are not the fastest commercial broadband available. For example, Wire 3 offers 10-gig service to customers in Florida for $120 per month, while residents of Chattanooga, Tennessee, can pay up to $1,500 per month for 25-gig service from EPB. But both Google Fiber and Lumen have much larger coverage areas, which means their 8-gig services are likely to be more widely available.
Mesa is part of Google Fiber's plan to expand to five new states in the next few years. As part of that plan, it's also targeting Chandler, Arizona, near Mesa; Omaha, Nebraska; and Lakewood and Westminster, Colorado. It has not yet identified locations where it will build plants in Idaho and Nevada, but it appears to be looking at Boise as a potential location.
It also wants to flesh out coverage in states where it already offers service. So far this year, Google Fiber has construction agreements with Council Bluffs, Iowa (just over the border in Omaha); Parkville, Missouri; West Lake Hills and Travis counties in Texas; and Brookhaven, Georgia. It received approval for construction in Leawood, Kansas, in July 2022 and opened in Smyrna, Tennessee, four months ago.